Under the Rain : Book Two
by CASTIKLINE
Summary: SEQUEL TO HIGH HOPES. Five years after the Snap, Aero Stark is blipped back into existence. Having to deal with the death of his dad, Aero can't wait to go to Europe. At least, he couldn't wait, anyway, because now someone from his dad's past has returned to reek havoc on Peter Parker's life, and Aero will be damned if he doesn't protect one of the last people he cares about.
1. INTRO

╔════════𝖗𝖆𝖎𝖓════════╗

_EXTENDED SUMMARY_

**UNDER THE RAIN**

╚════════𝖗𝖆𝖎𝖓════════╝

book **two **in the **a . m . s. **series

**AERO STARK KNOWS THAT HE'S NOT THE STAR OF THE FAMILY. **That's his dad. And his mom. And now it's his little sister, the one he's, apparently, been waiting to meet for five years (she even shares a _name_ with him!). But when the Blip happened, five years after the Snap, Aero finds himself being the center of attention as the world is told about Tony Stark's death—or, _Iron Man's _death, as they call it, because apparently no one cares who was behind the mask, just how they can publisize off his death.

It makes Aero angry. He was supposed to come home to his dad and best friend, Peter Parker (who's avoiding him now, too! _Fucking awesome_). He was supposed to be there to tell them about his new sibling and watch their reactions. He _wasn't _supposed to be turned to dust, and he certainly wasn't supposed to come back five years later, only to see his dad's dead body on a battlefield made on the rubble of his old home.

A lot of things begin to happen. New friendships, school fights, a field trip to Europe, a visit from S.H.I.E.L.D . . . Aero doesn't know how much longer he can keep it together. Sometimes his life just feels too complicated to keep up with.

╔════════𝖗𝖆𝖎𝖓════════╗

_CAST_

**UNDER THE RAIN**

╚════════𝖗𝖆𝖎𝖓════════╝

**_nick robinson _**as AERO STARK  
﴾ or, the son of a hero ﴿

**_tom holland _**as PETER PARKER  
﴾ or, the unmasked hero ﴿

_. . . also staring . . ._

**i. **jake gyllenhaal — **_mysterio / quentin beck_  
ii. **gwyneth paltrow — **_pepper potts_  
iii. **lexi rabe — **_morgan stark_**  
**iv. **jacob batalon — **_ned leeds_**  
**v. **zendaya coleman — **_michelle jones_**  
**vi. **angourie rice — **_betty brant_  
vii. **tony revolori — **_flash thompson_  
viii. **jon favreau — **_happy hogan_  
ix. **samuel l. jackson — **_nick fury_  
x. **don cheadle — **_james rhodes_**  
**xi. **robert downey jr. — **_tony stark_**

╔════════𝖗𝖆𝖎𝖓════════╗

_GRAPHICS_

**UNDER THE RAIN**

╚════════𝖗𝖆𝖎𝖓════════╝

— THE OFFICIAL UNDER THE RAINCOVER  
made by rmsvibes — [ HERE ]

— AERO / STARK  
gif set made by dαnnι — [ HERE ]

╔════════𝖗𝖆𝖎𝖓════════╗

_SOUNTRACK_

**UNDER THE RAIN**

╚════════𝖗𝖆𝖎𝖓════════╝

**i. **❛ RAIN ❜ — **_ben platt_  
ii. **❛ BETTER ❜ — **_ben platt_**  
**iii. **❛ EASE MY MIND ❜ — **_ben platt_**  
**iv. **❛ GROW AS WE GO ❜ — **_ben platt_**  
**v. **❛ WONDERING ❜ — **_julia lester and olivia rodrigo_**  
**vi. **❛ THE STORY ❜ — **_conan gray_**  
**vii. **❛ IN MY HEAD ❜ — **_ariana grande_**  
**viii. **❛ ONLY US ❜ — **_ben platt and laura dreyfuss_  
ix.** ❛ EMPTY WORDS ❜ — **_beth crowley_**  
**x. **❛ ON THE BORDERLINE ❜ — **_thomas sanders_**  
**xi. **❛ HOLLOW ❜ — **_icon for hire_**  
**xii. **❛ YOU NEED TO CALM DOWN ❜ — **_taylor swift_**  
**xiii. **❛ IF ONLY ❜ — **_dove cameron_**  
**xvi. **❛ HERO ❜ — **_sterling knight_**  
**xv. **❛ CONFIDENT ❜ — **_demi lavato_**  
**xvi. **❛ DON'T THINK JUST RUN ❜ — **_beth crowley_  
xvii.** ❛ IMAGINE ❜ — **_ariana grande_**  
**xviii. **❛ JUST ONE YESTERDAY ❜ — **_fall out boy_**  
**xix. **❛ MANIAC ❜ — **_conan gray_**  
**xx. **❛ HOME ❜ — **_sophia anne caruso_**

╔════════𝖗𝖆𝖎𝖓════════╗

_AUTHOR'S NOTE & DISCLAIMER_

**UNDER THE RAIN**

╚════════𝖗𝖆𝖎𝖓════════╝

**THIS STORY WILL DEAL WITH STRONG LANGUAGE, VIOLENCE, MENTIONS OF ABUSE, DEPRESSION, MENTION OF SUICIDE / SUICIDAL THOUGHTS, TOURTURE, AND TRAMA. PLEASE KEEP THAT IN MIND AS YOU READ _UNDER THE RAIN_, THE SECOND BOOK IN THE A. M. S. SERIES. SPOILERS FOR FAR FROM HOME.**

hi! welcome back to Aero's story! I'm very excited for you guys to read this! so this is the sequel to High Hopes, if you haven't read that then this story probably won't make any sense, so please check that out! yes this title is based around the Ben Platt song, please appreciate Ben Platt and give Rain and his album, Sing to Me Instead, a chance! have a good time reading this story, and hopefuly you won't need too many tissues :) love you guys!


	2. PROLOGUE

"Who's that?"

She asks the question so innocently, Tony almost doesn't even realize what she's referring to until she points insistently to his phone's background. It's a picture of Peter and Aero, a selfie scavenged from the iCloud after the Snap happend. They're both grinning at the camera, and Aero's eyes are full of life. Peter's arm is around Aero's shoulders, and Aero's face is red. He'd probably blamed it on the heat, but Tony knows. He's always known, ever since Aero came out as gay. Because, suddenly, Aero and Peter's closeness made sense, why they spent so much time together, why Aero became so close to a boy he had met because of meddling.

Tony sucked in a sharp breath, but stayed silent. Morgan looked up at him, brows furrowed. Tony's phone turned off on its own, but she didn't lose interest like he thought she would. "Who were they? Those boys?" she asked, but she stumbled over her words, and she has a lisp, so the question almost makes Tony smile. He caught himself and looked to Pepper, who's at the kitchen counter. Morgan had just wanted to play a game on Tony's phone. She wasn't supposed to find out about Aero and Peter. He'd been careless. He'd _always_ been careless.

Pepper caught his gaze. She nods to him, permission to tell Morgan about Peter and Aero. They were going to hold off for a few more years, but Morgan was smart, and she already knew what the Snap was, so it's not like it would be difficult to explain. Plus, what if she got bitter when she was older, thinking that Tony and Pepper were never going to tell her? It would be better to face the music now, just to avoid the pain later down the line.

Tony sighed, turning to face her. "Well, you know how the bad man Thanos snapped his fingers and used the Infinity Stones to make half of everything disappeared?" Morgan nodded, perking up in interest. It wasn't often that Tony talked about the Snap, but he figured it must have been fascinating to her, being born into a world where something so bad had happened, but she hadn't experienced it. He wondered how she would react in her history classes when she got older. "Well, here's the thing—he made half of all the people on Earth disappear, too, remember?" She nodded quickly.

"Including those two boys?" Tony nodded. "So who are they?"

"Well," Tony says, picking up his phone. He switched it on and showed her. "This is Peter Parker. He's . . . he was a superhero, but no one knew, not even S.H.I.E.L.D," he explained. Did she even remember who S.H.I.E.L.D was? Tony supposed it didn't matter. "He was a very smart kid. I kind of taught him some things, but he taught me a lot, too. Do you remember the stories about Spider-Man?" She nodded quickly, always happy at the mention of her favorite superhero, who was just a work of fiction to her. "And . . . he was Aero's best friend."

"And that's Era?" she asked, pointing to Aero. Tony's heart melted at the nickname, but he pushed on, nodding.

"Yes, that's Aero. He was my son. Your older brother," he stated.

Her eyes went wide. "I have a _brother_?" she whispered loudly, smiling brightly. Tony nodded, feeling himself get choked up. "Can we bring him back?"

Tony tensed, frowning. "Uh, well, uh," he stammered, not knowing what to say.

"Hey, Morgan? Why don't you play outside while I finish lunch?" Pepper asked. Morgan looked at her mom and nodded, getting off the chair and heading outside. Tony exhaled heavily, sinking down in his chair. "She's going to keep asking questions," Pepper told him, almost too quietly for him to catch.

"And we're not going to have any answers."

"We can't keep avoiding the topic of Aero, Tony." She looked up at him, then. "He would want her to know."

"And he would understand how painful it is to talk about him," Tony shot back. They both sighed, and Tony leaned back in his chair, running his hands over his face. "She'll understand when she's older. Bringing _anyone _back could mess up _everything _. . . and I don't think he would want us to mess anything up." It would always difficult, saying his name. He didn't want to do it. He hadn't referred to his son by name since he found out Aero had been a victim of the Snap. He knew Aero would understand. He just wished other people would, too.

Pepper remained silent. He knew that she didn't agree with him. Fuck, he didn't, either. He was just saying whatever he could to make himself feel better, and in the process was completely disregarding her feelings. Aero was _her_ son, too. He shouldn't push his own grievances onto her. Or Morgan. Or anyone else for that matter. But before he could voice this realization, Morgan ran back inside the house, looking like she had something important to say.

"Auntie Nat is here!" she announced. Tony and Pepper shared a frown. If Nat was visiting, that couldn't mean anything good. _They _had to invite _her_. She never showed up on her own.

Tony took one for the team. He stood up and moved toward the door, making sure to ruffle Morgan's hair as he passed before stepping outside.

There were three people—Nat, obviously, with her hair braided over her shoulder; Steve, who looked confused at the space around him, like he hadn't expected Tony to ever live out in the woods; and a man Tony had only met once before, but whose name eluded him. He crossed his arms and stared at them. "Well, _this_ can't be anything good," he said.

Steve glanced at the unknown man. The man stepped forward. "My name is Scott. I think I know how we can get everyone back . . . including your son."

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧ *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧ *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

Everything was . . . bare.

That's the only way Tony could describe it. There was nothing in the endless horizon, which both never ended and yet seemed so close. The world around him was a sunset—literally. Different hues of orange, but one color nonetheless, surrounded him at every angle. If he stared at one place for too long, his eyes began to hurt, which he didn't even think was possible, considering he was, well, dead.

It struck him, then, how clam he felt about his own death. There was something comforting about it. But there was also a strange weight on his heart, something that made him feel weird. He didn't know what it was. All he knows is that he could rest easy. Pepper was alive. Morgan was safe. Peter . . . Peter was okay, too, even if he wouldn't be for a while. Happy, Rhodey, Steve—hell, even Scott. None of them had to suffer because of Tony's choice.

But the real relief was Aero.

It had been brief. And it had hurt. But he'd seen Aero, just for a moment, when the battle was over. Peter had rushed off, then Rhodey, and Tony knew that only meant one thing. And then Aero had appeared, staring at him in horror, and though it had hurt more than Tony could put into words, he knew that Aero was safe, and that's what made everything easier. But it made things so much harder at the same time.

Aero should have been 21. He should be legally able to drink. He should be an adult. But instead he's nearly sixteen, thrown into a world that's changed—for better or for worse, Tony doesn't know. He's going to have hardships. He's going to be angry. He's going to hate everyone and everything, just like Tony did when his parents died. He's going to have a hell of a lot of trauma, too. And Tony wouldn't be able to help him. He'd made his choice.

He only wished it as the right one.

Ah, there it is—that strange feeling. It wasn't just apart of death. It was regret.

Before Tony could reflect on what that meant, someone cleared their throat.

"Are you going to admire the view all day? It's not that interesting."

Tony turned. He smiled, just faintly. This wasn't real. Or maybe it was. It didn't matter. He looked exactly the same, right down to the outfit he had worn when Tony had last seen him. He was grinning, amused with Tony's fascination of where he was. Tony looked around, just to be sure his eyes weren't deceiving him—there was a beach, now. Still the same orange sky, but a beach. And a tiny house behind Aero. And a single tree.

"Aero," he greeted, moving toward his son. Aero lost his smile and immediately went out to meet him, hugging Tony so tightly that Tony lost his breath, which he didn't think was even possible, given his, er, circumstances.

"Hi, Dad," Aero said softly. He pulled out of the hug, smiling sadly.

Tony pulled away further. He stared at Aero, his decision finally catching up with him. He sighed, running a hand over his face as he turned around. "You lived," he said.

"But you didn't." Bitter. Just a hint of it, but Tony could detect it.

"I'm sorry, kiddo," he said, turning to look at him. "I think I— I made the wrong choice."

Aero looked down. He took a deep breath, like he usually did whenever something was hurting him. "Well . . . I don't think you did." He looked up. "It hurts. A lot. But . . . you did what you felt was right. You saved the world. And I am so, _so _proud of you, Dad. You're my hero."

Tony smiled at him. He lost it just as quick. "Aero . . . a lot of things are going to hurt. But I'll be by your side, watching over you. I promise you that, okay? I told you I would always be there. And I will be, just not physically." Aero nodded. After a moment, Tony added, "And about Nat—"

"I know," Aero said, voice wobbly. Tony nodded. "I'm . . . _really _going to miss you."

Tony pulled him into another hug. He could feel the world slipping away. "I love you."

Aero clutched him tightly. "I love you, too."

"Take care of them."

"I will."


	3. CHAPTER ONE

Aero remembers the attack on New York—the one in 2012, that is, because God knows there's been more than one.

He was almost twelve, but not quite there yet. He was with his mom, on a plane, which he'd always hated being on. They were too stuffy and he was afraid of heights and he always felt awkward whenever he was offered a drink from someone. He would rather be on the ground, in his _room_, listening to the soundtrack to _Bare: a Pop Opera _for the 15th time in a row. But when his dad had called, frantic that Pepper and Aero get the hell out of the city, they listened.

Aero hadn't really understood why they had to leave until he was watching the news report.

His mom had noticed him watching and had sent him to the back of the plane to protect him. Clearly, that hadn't worked—he'd pulled up the livestream on his phone and had watched with muted horror as a shaky camera recorded his dad flying toward whatever hell-hole had opened in the sky. And then his phone had started ringing, and it was his dad.

_Don't go up there, _Aero remembered saying.

_It's the only way, _Tony had argued. _I love you, kiddo,_

_ . . . I love you, too, dad, _Aero had muttered just before the call cut out and his dad was in space.

Aero will be honest—he didn't think his dad would come back. Like, _aliens _from _space _were attacking the city. He didn't have enough hope to believe that his dad could survive _that_, much less a quick trip into the galaxy. There wouldn't be any oxygen. He'd fall too fast and would hit the ground too hard. He'd die, and Aero wouldn't get a chance at a proper goodbye.

And then, somehow, he'd survived.

Aero had begun running to Stark Tower the second he was let off the plane. It was far, and Happy had actually managed to catch up to him in the car and driven him the rest of the way. The second they were at the tower, Aero had gone inside, not bothering with security or caring about the fact that the man who'd caused the invasion—Loki, as Aero would learn, because, sure, the Asgardian gods are real—was so close that Aero could punch him, if he wanted to. He just cared about his dad. He didn't stop following Tony around for a week, and his dad hadn't really minded. It was a comfort for both of them.

Aero thought it would always be like that—one of them faces a horrible situation, and the other is there to help them through it.

There was no comfort anymore.

But there was a calm.

That was the only way to describe it.

Was there a better way to describe the feeling of a dream, so quick that you could barely remember it? How you appear on the streets of New York near the evening, just like it was when you left? How you're surrounded by people, everyone looking around in quiet wonder, trying to see if they're the only ones who felt it, the dream-like trance that lasted for only a moment, or for what seemed like only a moment?

He remembers the feeling of dreaming. He'd been walking out of a mini store with a bag of different snacks for the game night and a soda for himself. Then, an almost trance-like fog seemed to cover his mind, but only for a moment. It felt like nothing had changed, like no time had passed between the moment he was outside the store and the moment he came back to reality.

Chaos.

That's the only way to describe the outcome.

The scream comes from across the street, the shout of, "RONNY!" cutting through the silence. It's enough to snap Aero out of his shock, but he doesn't have time to process what the hell had just happened before he's falling down to the sidewalk, him and the others, as the ground rumbles beneath their feet. It's quick, and it doesn't last long—Aero is back on his feet in seconds. He immediately looks in the direction of his home and sees the smoke rising. He doesn't think twice—the car he took to the store is no longer in front of it, so he runs.

It's hard work, running seven miles. Aero has never been a runner—he found it useless. Which probably wasn't the best thought, because now he's out of breath and he still had six miles to run. He almost wants to get a cab, but how would he get the attention of one in chaos like this? And calling Happy is out of the question—he doesn't want to have Happy drive him into what looks like a battlefield. Truly, Aero doesn't understand why he's even headed there himself. But something is telling him to hurry. So he keeps running.

His phone rings, too loud to handle, and that's when Aero realizes that he's alone on the road. He takes out his phone and answers it without even thinking.

" . . . _Aero?_" Happy asked, hesitantly, almost like he couldn't believe that Aero was actually on the phone, like Aero had never answered the phone before.

"Happy, what the hell is going on?" he demanded, slowing down. He was breathing too heavily. His legs felt weak.

"You're alive," Happy replied, quiet.

"_Yes _I'm alive, that doesn't answer my question," Aero said. He took a deep breath. "Look, I'm almost at the compound, I'll just—"

"No!" Happy shouted, cutting Aero off. "Don't go there, it's too dangerous!"

"Happy, something is happening. I have to go." He hung up without waiting for a reply, put his phone in his pocket, and started running again.

It got harder to breath the closer he got.

Smoke was rising from the battlefield (and Aero can see, now, that he was right about there being a fight), clogging his lungs as he struggles to take a deep breath. He's at the edge of the world, it feels like—staring, bewildered, at the scene before him. Two armies are clashing, and everything is in complete disarray. Aero ducks behind some rubble as someone flies overhead—in the back of his head, he knows it's Sam Wilson, but he doesn't come back up until the area is clear. It's hard to breath, but Aero just wants to know what's going on. He can't fight—he knows that. So he stays behind the rubble, hoping he wasn't going to be found and killed.

His wish is almost granted.

He makes the mistake of peaking over the rubble to check out the battle, looking for his dad, or Peter, or even Uncle Rhodey, someone he knows and trusts. But he's spotted by a large, ugly alien, who comes running toward him, drawing what looks like a sword and pointing it straight at Aero. Aero scrambled away and fell down, eyes wide, not being able to form the words to call for help—

It's shot down.

The body falls at Aero's feet, making him realize just how close it had been to killing him. He looked up and met the dark eyes of a man he'd last seen on a Wanted poster, but he can't think about the fact that Bucky Barnes just saved him before the man is running off again, not even letting Aero say thank you.

Aero moved away, trying to find more rubble.

But he doesn't have to. The battlefield goes silent. The roar of the armies and the clashing of metal and metal dies out almost instantly. Around Aero, the enemy turns to dust—at least, that's the best way Aero can describe it. Dust, flying away in the wind. And then he gets a good look of where he is.

There's rubble of the compound, his _home_, mixed with the broken piece of a spaceship that had obviously once been so mighty. There's gallons of water so close to spilling over into the field, but it's all being held back by magic, preformed by people in robes standing off to the side. Around him, the aliens look around, as if they can't believe that they've lost, and it's suddenly easier to breath. Aero finds it easier to think, too, now that perfect silence has fallen over their heads.

"What the _fuck_," Aero finally said, just a little too loud.

A man with black and grey hair a few feet away turned to him. He looked like a wizard, but Aero didn't have time to focus on how cool he looked, more worried about what the hell he was looking at. But the look on the man's face—sorrow and regret, with sad eyes that made Aero actually feel bad for the stranger—stumped him.

"You must be Aero," the man said. "Peter and Tony . . . they spoke of you. I figured it was best to leave you in the city, but I see you've found your way over here."

Aero stared at him. "Uh. Okay. Nice cape. You look like a wizard."

He didn't understand the pain in the man's eyes at the comment.

Aero quickly moved on. There were so many people that he didn't recognize, but none of them were attacking each other, so he assumed they were the good guys. As he dove further in, familiar faces began to show—the king of Wakanda, T'challa, helped with the wounded; Clint Barton kept a sharp eye out for something, probably stray enemies; Thor spoke quietly with Steve Rogers. Aero had to stop himself from going over to them, excited to see Thor again. Hell, he was happy to see both of them alive, even if he still disliked Steve.

He looked around once more. A dark-skinned woman hovered over the battle field on a flying horse (sure, why not?); on the ground, a woman in red and gold spoke with another dark-skinned, bald woman. Further away, a . . . green-skinned woman was sneaking away from the battlefield. Aero stared at her for a moment before looking away, knowing it was none of his business. He looked to the left and moved on.

Then he stopped short and did a double take.

"_Bruce_?" he asked. Hulk— no, Bruce— no, a combination of the two turned around. His eyes widened at the sight of Aero, and Aero made the same expression. This was clearly Bruce, but in the Hulk's body. It didn't make _sense_! And, also, the last Aero had heard of Bruce, he was considered dead! Or in space! But that wasn't the main question on Aero's mind, not by a long shot. "What's going on? What _happened_?"

"Aero," Bruce said, still amazed. Aero frowned and turned away, looking at the battlefield. About fifty feet away, past some rubble, he caught sight of a metallic armor. It was different than he'd last saw it, but he'd recognize that shade of red anywhere, and when he raised his eyes up, he caught sight of a face he'd been hoping to see again.

"Peter," Aero mumbled, his voice only a whisper to his own ears. He took a step forward, then another, and then he was running. "Peter!" he shouted, his voice wobbly. Exhaustion pulled at his legs and made it hard to catch his breath, but it was worth it when Peter looked up, his eyes going wide. He smiled, but if fell away, and he quickly ran to meet Aero out in the rubble. Aero didn't wait to throw his arms around him, pulling Peter close and burying his face into his chest, trying not to cry. Peter's arms circled his waist, and his chin rested on Aero's shoulder as he shook, clearly holding back tears of his own.

"Aero," Peter breathed, quiet. He pulled away, leaning their foreheads together. "You're— you were— you're the same age? You didn't turn to dust?"

Aero squinted at him. "What?"

Peter shook his head. "I guess it'll make sense later. Mr.—" Peter cut himself off as his voice cracked. Aero frowned, pulling away from him. "Your mom is— she's over there," Peter choked out. "But I don't think you should go over— over there, Aero, please don't go over there—"

He didn't stop Aero from pushing past him, running in the direction of his mom. He saw her, then—her and Uncle Rhodey, standing there, together, both of them looking shocked. Rhodey caught sight of Aero and seemed to come back to reality, moving away from Pepper and blocking Aero just before he could get to her.

"Kid," Rhodey said seriously, putting his hands on Aero's shoulders to stop him from moving. Aero frowned.

"What?" he asked, before giving Rhodey a quick hug. "What's up? I need to talk to Mom."

Rhodey sighed. "No, you should go with Peter. Please," he begged. Aero moved away from him, finding that Rhodey wasn't trying to keep him in place.

"No, I wanna see my mom. I need to know where my dad is," he said, looking over Rhodey's shoulder. That's when he saw it.

Pepper was looking at someone, still, silent, and pale. Peaking out behind the rubble were two things—a hand and a foot, both covered in red armor. It wasn't the kind of red on Peter's suit, though—it was the kind of his dad's suit. And his mom was crying and Rhodey and Peter had tried to stop him, and that could only mean—

Aero didn't realize he was moving until he was looking at it.

Until he was looking at his dad.

He felt someone's hands on his shoulders, trying to pull him away. They were saying something, but it all sounded warbled, like he wasn't fully there. He was shaking—holding back tears, he realized, his bottom lip quivering. Because his dad was right in front of him, eyes wide open, staring blankly at the sight in front of him. Half of his body was burned horribly, and he was deathly pale, almost like— like he was dead. Lifeless eyes wouldn't meet Aero's, wouldn't give him some sort of reassurance that his dad was alive, just hurt. He wanted to scream at everyone around him—his dad needed a doctor, and instead people were just walking around! Didn't people care that he was _hurt_?

"Aero," Pepper was saying, her voice soft. She tried to turn him toward her. "Come on, we need to go. Come on."

"Dad," he said, and that was all it took for the dam to break. He surged forward, dropping to his knees as he sobbed. "Dad, _dad_, **_wake up_**," he said, reaching out to cup his dad's face in both hands. "_Dad, please wake up,_" he begged, babbling by this point, desperate for his dad to hear him and _wake up_, because Tony was dead, Tony Stark can't die, this isn't happening, this _isn't _**_happening_**—

Peter pulled him away. He turned Aero toward him and tries to do that stupid breathing exercise that he usually did to help Aero through his panic attacks, but all Aero can see is Tony, motionless Tony, and he cries. He doesn't stop crying, even when Peter pulls him into a hug, begging Aero to breath, telling him that it'll be okay. But he can't see why—he doesn't see how anything will be okay.

The world lost a hero. But Aero lost his dad.

Everything happens too fast.

Aero is pulled off the field by Rhodey, but he's left to the side for awhile, watching numbly as everyone begins picking up the pieces left behind from the fight. He sees the Avengers, the first ones, gathered around his dad, talking; none of them are crying, and it makes Aero fucking angry. His dad, their _friend_, is dead, and they can't even bother to shed a tear. None of him gets it—they're meant to be strong, sure, but it doesn't matter. Crying is strong, too.

Thor's the one to talk to Aero when they finally decide it's time to get Tony off the field. He distracts Aero with tales of Asgard, the New Asgard, and Aero lets him because he doesn't want to see his dad's body and he knows Thor is just trying his best. So Aero lets him. It's nice, catching up with one of the people he hasn't seen in years. He almost wishes Bruce was there, because Aero has a _lot _of questions for him, too, but he's okay with just listening to Thor for now.

Thor introduces him to the woman on the flying horse, Val, who doesn't smile too much but who seems fun to be around. Aero wants to meet the woman with the short blonde hair, but she's gone before he gets the chance, and he has a feeling she does that too often. He sees Steve, later on, but he doesn't say hi, not because he's still bitter with Steve—he isn't. He's over the fighting, really—but because he just doesn't want to talk anymore. He does wave at Bucky Barnes, though, still thankful that he'd saved Aero's life not even two hours before. Bucly waves back, too, looking more than confused.

He meets up with Bruce when the sun is beginning to set. Everything is quiet and calm, and Bruce tells him about the Snap, about the five years that Aero's missed. He remembers that Aero's favorite artist is Ben Platt and tells him that Ben had released a new album in 2019, and Aero kind of wants to go home just to listen to it, but he quickly realizes there's no home to go to. Except there has to be, because he doubts his mom and dad stayed at the Compound, so they had to live _somewhere_, right? And even if there _wasn't _another house, they would find one, him and his mom, and call it home, or they would stay with Rhodey or something. Anything but the Avengers Compound.

Anywhere but a reminder of his dad.

Aero blocks Tony about whenever the thought of him springs up, but it's not easy when everyone goes to talk about Tony, only to stop short when they realize who they're talking to. Aero pushes down the feelings that threaten to overwhelm him and instead puts on an interested face when he learns about New Asgard for the tenth time, or is told about Vision's death, or how badass Wanda was on the field. He puts on his Press Face, the face he makes when he'd rather be anywhere else, but he has to play nice for the camera. The world was going to be watching him, and Aero had to be strong.

His mom finds him when it's dark.

She hugs him so tightly that he can't breath, but Aero doesn't care, burying his face into her shoulder as he exhales deeply. They're silent, but it's enough for both of them—they don't need to talk about Tony, or the Snap, or whatever else Aero missed when he was gone. They just need each other.

She tells him that he's staying with Rhodey until the funeral. Aero finds that he doesn't care about that, because there are worse places to be and he knows they both need a moment to themselves before they have to let _him_ go. It's an easy choice to make, and Aero meets up with his uncle by the time he's normally in bed. Happy meets them a mile from the battlefield, and it's clear he's been given the news because he has a new pack of headphones for Aero to use, and Aero _does _use them, tuning out everything by blasting the _Beetlejuice _soundtrack as loudly as he can.

Rhodey asks if he wants dinner, and Aero refuses. He doesn't think he can stomach anything at the moment.

Ned and Michelle text him, but Aero doesn't answer. It only takes a day for the news to heart about Tony, and then it's everywhere. Everyone texts him, tweets at him, DMs him on Instagram and asks him if he's okay. And how can he answer that? Of course he's not okay. He's been gone for five years and his dad is dead, the world is _ending_, and nothing is ever going to be okay again, because why would it be? What kind of question is that?

It takes a week for Aero to see his mom again.

It's not her fault. He know it's not his fault, either. She's planning the funeral, and Aero's numb to any emotion, so it's safe to say they wouldn't get along at the moment. He knows it's okay to cry, and it's better to get the tears out now than at the funeral, where he'd have to be strong. But he can't. He rejects the food he's offered. He numbly hugs Happy when he arrives. He has his music on full volume when he wears headphones, listening to Ben Platt's debut album, which had come out when he was . . . gone. He still refuses to say dead, and Blipped is absolutely stupid.

He's quiet and numb and scared.

It's strange, almost. He's scared of the future. He's scared of seeing everyone else at his dad's funeral. But he can't feel anything for his dad.

It's awful. He knows it is. But the thought of his dad doesn't bring him to tears. It's not the funeral preparations, or the way people hug him and ask if he's okay. Aero feels absolutely, completely empty, and not even seeing his dad's face on the news can get him to cry. He knows Happy and Rhodey look at him like he's crazy, and maybe he is—but there's nothing there. Fuck, half of Aero's time is spent on YouTube, laughing a funny vines.

He thinks they're going to send him to therapy.

The world, for the most part, is handling everything pretty well. There's a dozen new reality TV show pitches about someone who married someone else when they're partner was Blipped, but now that their partner is back, what happens now? There's paintings of heroes and celebrations and movie deals about Tony's life that Aero is positive no one close to him signed off on, but it doesn't seem to matter to anyone but Aero. _Pick your battles_, Rhodey said when Aero swore at the TV when it was announced that _another _movie was being made about Tony, staring fucking _Tom Hanks_. If his name is mentioned in any of them, Aero is going to sue, and he tweets that publicly because he just doesn't care.

"Pizza tonight?" Rhodey asks, and Aero shakes his head no, heading off to bed without another word.

By day four, Aero thinks he's going crazy.

He wants to text Peter to come over, to help him calm down, but Peter hasn't texted him yet and Aero doesn't want to bother him when he's probably trying to get his life back on track after being Blipped. Aero has enough support to easily slip back into his old life—Peter, not so much. He's probably had to move, and with school starting soon, he's probably stressed about having to repeat his sophomore year. Aero knows he is.

But it still doesn't stop Aero from missing him like crazy.

He's throws himself into music. The one time he leaves the house with his uncle, he goes to a music store close by and buys a guitar, hoping his uncle isn't going to mind the noise. He learns the cords to Ease My Mind by Ben Platt and thinks about Peter and tries his best not to think about his dad. It's difficult, but he manages, because he has to be strong for everyone else. His mom was grieving and Aero had to be there for her, because there weren't many other people. He has to be the man of the house and he has to be good and not cry and just be strong, but that's all he can manage to be.

By the sixth day, Rhodey forces him to sit at the table and eat. He watches Aero closely, making sure he doesn't move until the plate is done. Then they spend the rest of the night watching movies silently, a bowel of popcorn between them that gets refilled after every movie. It's 2 AM and Aero feels tired but he can't help but laugh when they're watching Beetlejuice and it's enough to drive every bad thought from his mind when Rhodey criticize the Harry Potter characters for their stupid choices, because "Why didn't Harry realize that Sirius wasn't really in danger, why did Dumbledore allow that meathead to teach a class—"

It's enough.

By the seventh day, one day before he has to face the world again, Rhodey sits with him in his room. They're both silent, but Aero knows he wants to talk about the funeral, about Tony, but Aero can't. He doesn't want to feel anything anymore, and talking about his dad was going to make Aero angry, which he couldn't afford to feel.

"We need to wake up by seven tomorrow," Rhodey says. Aero nods, putting that down in his mind. "Pepper sent over a suit for you."

"New?" Aero asks, because he doubts his old suit is still around.

"Yeah," Rhodey confirms. Aero nods. "Do you need anything, Aero?" Rhodey asked, his voice soft.

Aero stares at him blankly. Happy had come to see him earlier. His mom hadn't, but he knew she was okay. And Rhodey was obviously fine. And that blonde woman who wore the red and gold suit was clearly okay, too (she even told him his dad was a hero, but Aero hadn't been able to catch her name before she'd left the apartment). Steve, Clint, Bruce, Thor—they weren't going to check up on him because he wasn't family. They'd see him at his dad's funeral. But there was someone who would've come to see him if she had the chance. And Aero didn't see why she wouldn't, unless. . . .

"Where's Aunt Nat?" Aero asked, voice monotone, knowing the answer in his soul.

Rhodey hesitates. Aero buries his face into his pillow and, for the first time in seven days, he cries.


	4. CHAPTER TWO

It's too bright.

Things shouldn't have been bright. The sun should be covered by clouds. It should be raining. Anything that wasn't sunny and happy, because there was nothing happy about October 18th, 2023. It was the day Aero got into his uncle's car and, for the first time in seven days, realized the gravity of his situation. He was Tony's oldest—and only—child. He was going to be the face of the Stark Legacy, and the world would be looking at him when he made even the smallest mistakes. They would criticize and tear him apart and tell him he wasn't worthy of being Tony's son.

Aero knew that. He just wonders how _they _know, too.

Rhodey told him about the house—it's a cabin in the woods, and it's cozy. Big enough for the family, and lonely enough for him and his mom, Aero thinks. He watches the trees pass in a blur and wonders who's going to show up to Tony's funeral besides who would be expected to be there. Aero has a feeling a lot of old grudges are going to come back to haunt him, and a part of him honestly can't wait to give back what everyone gave his dad—relentless blame and criticism.

"Oh," Rhodey said, causally, "you should know about Morgan."

"Morgan?" Aero asked, monotone. "Who's he?"

"She," Rhodey corrected. "She's your sister," he adds.

It's enough to flip Aero's mood entirely, and it's like his memories are suddenly pushed back into his head. Of course. He'd left the house because he was excited about his mom being pregnant. It's been five years. She would've had the baby by now, and Aero was a brother, and they'd named her Morgan, and—

Aero turned his gaze onto Rhodey. "Wait. Morgan. As in, like, _Morgan_. As in _me_," he stammered, the realization hitting him like a truck.

Rhodey grinned. "Yeah. They thought it was appropriate."

"Holy shit."

"She's almost five."

"Holy. Shit." Aero broke into a grin, and it's all he can do to keep from laughing with joy. "I'm a brother. I'm a _brother_! Like, I have a _sister_, and I'm _older _than her, and I can teach her how to drive and protect her from boys and— and. . . ." Aero trailed off, his smile fading. His dad should've been the one to teach Morgan to drive. He should be the one protecting her from boys. Aero didn't deserve that job, not when he'd missed so much development. Did she even know about him? Of course not. He was a complete stranger.

Rhodey glanced at him from the corner of his eye. "Aero. You're allowed to be happy."

"Am I?"

The question hangs in the air, cold. Aero wants to scream.

They pull up to the house.

It's quaint. Quiet. There's a lake to the side and the whole thing is made of wood and maybe, Aero thinks, he could like it here, as long as he can still go to Midtown and have friends and be with his family. It's, quite frankly, Aero's dream home—far away from the public eye, deep in nature, and utterly soundless when you wanted it to be. It was perfect, but all Aero could focus on was the fact that his dad had probably designed the house and now he wouldn't even get to see Aero's reaction to it.

Aero got off the car. He moves in front of it and waits for Rhodey to join him, and in that time Happy has time to hug him and ask Aero how he's feeling. Aero gives the typical answer of, "Fine. You?" before Rhodey gets to his side, and then Aero is perfectly fine with going silent, looking around the property with interest. Yeah, he's going to like it here. It's going to be lonely, but that's what his mom and sister are for.

His eyes go to the dirt road. There's a few cars scattered around, showing that people had come to the funeral. And then, in the very back, pulling up and trying to hide between the trees, Aero sees a white van with tinted windows, and he feels anger burn inside his chest, turning his heart into molten lava that he can't wait to pour on the person who thought it was a good idea for a news agency to crash his dad's funeral.

"Hey," he cut in, interrupting Happy, and he points at the van. Rhodey and Happy follow his gaze.

"Oh, _hell_ no," Rhodey muttered, hurrying away with Happy to deal with the whatever motherfucker was in the van. Aero almost goes with them, then remembers that they probably want pictures of the family, and Aero _is_ family. So he turns the other way and heads over to the crowd of people milling around as they wait for the funeral to start, and Aero can't help but wonder who some of them are and why they were at his dad's funeral when they didn't know him, not really.

Bruce should be there, it makes sense. He and Tony were good friends. Nat should have been there, but Aero can't think about that right now. Thor, maybe; he and Tony weren't best friends, but they weren't enemies, either. Steve, Clint, a few others Aero didn't recognize—they didn't deserve it. They should leave, and they all knew it, too. But that's not what his dad would want, so Aero didn't say anything, just walked into the scene and pretended that he was okay when he really felt like he couldn't breath.

It's enough to drive him crazy.

He's walking around, lost, when he's stopped by the wizard.

"Aero," the man said, and Aero look at him blankly. "Doctor Strange," he added, holding out his hand.

"Are we using our superhero identities?" Aero asked, shaking his hand. He has no bad blood with the guy, Strange, because, so far, he seems good. "I'm sorry to say that I don't have one yet."

Strange rolled his eyes. "You and Parker both," he said, and Aero's heart thumps a little faster at the mention of his not-to-be-seen friend. "I wanted to . . . apologize. But I know apologies mean nothing at times like these," he said, which is exactly how Aero feels. "Your father was a good man, willing to die for our universe. There aren't many people like him. I hope you take comfort in that."

Aero was quiet for a moment, digesting the words. They don't make him feel better, but they don't make him want to roll his eyes, so he supposed that, yes, he'll find comfort in the knowledge that he isn't the only one who knows his dad is a hero. Because Tony is . . . _was_a hero, and it's time other people recognized that.

". . . Is your name _actually_ Doctor Strange?" Aero asked, and it makes the man chuckle quietly.

Aero moves on. Bruce and Thor stand under the trees, speaking to each other, but they both turn their attention to Aero when they see him approaching. Bruce smiled sadly, his arm in a sling, and Aero hugged him, surprising both of them. He wants to say thank you for bringing him and everyone else back, but he can't form the words. Bruce seems to understand, gently putting his good hand on Aero's head for a moment before removing it. Aero pulled away and smiled, looking up at him.

"I want answers," he said bluntly, "about what the hell happened to you when I was gone."

Bruce chuckled. "It's a story for later, Aero," he said honestly, and Aero nods, because he doesn't want to hear it now, anyway. Then he looks at Thor and smiles, nodding in thanks for the day on the battlefield, when Thor offered a distraction from Aero's life for a few hours. Thor grins at him, but it's somewhat forced, both of them feeling the saddness in the air around each other. Thor lost a friend, and Aero lost a dad, and while in their situation it wasn't comparable, they both felt guilty. So he hugged Thor, too, and he doesn't make a comment about the smell of beer because he doesn't believe that Thor would be drunk at Tony's funeral, that it's only a lasting smell from five years of depression.

And Aero understands.

He moves on through the crowd.

There's people he doesn't know, another Peter and a talking raccoon and a talking tree and a blue robot who gives him a knowing look when he passes. He doesn't recognize her, but she knows him, and Aero has to wonder how she does. But he doesn't bother asking because it's not worth knowing about. Maybe she just knows him from the news.

He's stopped by a tall man with brown hair and kind eyes, standing a few feet away from an even taller, brown-haired woman who gives the man a little push. The man sighed and looked at Aero, and for a moment it's like he _actually _sees Aero, and Aero has to wonder if this guy is a dad, too, because he has the same look that Tony had when he first laid eyes on Aero—_this is a kid, and I will do my best. _But it's different, too, because this guy isn't Tony, but he seems nice enough, so Aero pauses to let him speak.

"My name is Scott Lang," the man said, looking nervous. "I want to say that I'm sorry."

Aero doesn't roll his eyes. He can tell that there's real guilt in the statement, though he doesn't understand why. "It's fine. You didn't kill him." The words come out too bluntly. Scott winced, but Aero doesn't flinch. It's just how he is now.

"No, I mean— I'm the one who suggested the Time Heist," Scott admitted.

Aero blinked. "The . . . Time Heist?" he echoed, confused. "What the hell does that mean?"

"I'm the one who suggested that we go back in time to save everyone," Scott explained. "He wanted to get you back. If I hadn't suggested it, he wouldn't have made time travel possible and he'd probably still be here. I'm— I'm sorry," he finished, voice catching at the end, sincere and scared and angry at himself. Aero studied him, quiet, and finally nods.

"Well. Now I'm just curious about the fact that time travel is real," he said simply. Scott smiled hesitantly. "Look, it's not your fault, man. If you guys hadn't gone back in time, I probably wouldn't be here. Half these people wouldn't be," he said, and he doesn't miss the way Scot looks at the brown-haired woman, who smiles. "But whatever. I don't blame you. You seem cool, actually." The name clicks, just then. "Wait a minute. You were at the airport. You were the, uh, the—"

"Giant-Man?" Scott supplies.

"How did you do it?" Aero asked, and then it's another thirty minutes of meeting people—Hope Van Dyne, Dr. Hank Pym, and Janet Van Dyne, who all take their time to explain how Scott's suit works and the Pym Particles that made time travel possible, and Aero can't help but laugh when they talk shit on his granddad, Howard Stark. Janet ruffles his hair and for the first time he feels a burst of emotion, but then he stamps it down and puts on a fake smile and watches Scott and Hope make lovey-dovey eyes at each other before he excuses himself to catch up with the others.

He nods when he seems T'challa, but he doesn't expect to be confronted by the king's sister, Shuri, who he's completely fascinated with. She's smart and funny and slips in a couple of vine references to trip him up, but Aero fires back with his own and they're quick to exchange numbers. He sees a general, Okoye as he'll soon learn, roll her eyes but smile just faintly, and Aero can see things looking up for now. He moves on with the promise of sending Shuri one of his favorite Vine compilations to see if she's seen it before, but he's pretty sure she has. The whole interaction makes him have hope, and that's enough.

Wanda finds him near the house, looking around as if a little lost. He hugs her despite the airport battle and she puts a hand on his shoulder, telling him she's sorry, but Aero doesn't really care, anyway, because he was friends with Wanda before the split of the Avengers and he's friends with her now. They share their grievances about Vision, but it's clear she's more emotional about it, because Aero remembers J.A.R.V.I.S. and Wanda remembers Vision, and those two were different people born from the same coding. He moves on.

He finds Bucky Barnes as far away as Sam Wilson will allow him to be, and he walks over. Sam eyes him, but he doesn't step in.

"Barnes," Aero greeted, and for a moment he's a little stricken, because, damn, Bucky may have hurt his dad, but that doesn't mean he wasn't handsome as hell. Aero shakes his head, pushing the thought away because now is _not _the time. "I never said thank you. For saving me," he added, though he knows Bucky understands.

". . . Call it an apology," Bucky finally said, quietly, and Aero understands.

"I think I speak on his behalf when I say it's accepted," Aero says. Just for a moment, Bucky smiles—it's faint and doesn't last long, but it's there, and Aero has a feeling it's very rare to get a smile out of Bucky Barnes. "I'll see you around," he adds, looking from Bucky to Sam, and it's an offer to both of them—_you don't have to run anymore_. Aero's tired of fighting and hating people and being bitter. Five years have passed, and times change. It's time Aero changed, too. If Bucky and Sam wanted to come back to the Avengers, they would be allowed back. Aero might not be an Avenger, but his dad damn well was one of the leaders, and Aero intends to make his legacy last.

He moves on.

He still hasn't seen his mom, but he doesn't seek her out. They're time will come.

Instead, he's intercepted by Maria Hill, who offers her condolences and tells Aero he's a brave kid. Aero smiles and gives thanks and walks away. He meets Carol Danvers, Captain Marvel, and he tells her she's an absolute badass, bluntly, and she nods. He has a feeling she doesn't give respect to people often, so he's thankful she has it for his dad. He walks away from her, too, glad he said something nice, before he sees them.

Steve and Clint, talking quietly, just before the actually funeral starts. Aero paused, wanting to walk away. There are some things you don't forgive.

And then he remembered his dad, took a deep breath, and walked over.

Steve is the first to see him. He bowed his head respectfully. "Aero," he said.

"Steve," Aero replied.

Clint looked between them. "Er—"

"Look, I'm not going to say you're heroes or that I forgive you or whatever," Aero said evenly, sharply, because he remembers entering the raft with Tony, amazed with everything in the facility; he remembers his dad's arm in a sling and a bruise around his eye, and he remembers the way Barton mocked and jeered and Aero feels angry all over again. But he pushes it down, under a pile of Picture Perfect Respect. "But he did, and that's all you need to know. He didn't hate you. He just trusted you."

"I know," Steve said painfully, like he doesn't know how to get the words out. "Aero, I'm—"

"I don't care," Aero cut in. "I'm not a teammate, I'm not your boss, and I don't care, so I can say it. You're not in trouble anymore, Rogers, but I won't bite my tongue and say anything respectful when you hurt my dad." He took a breath. "But I won't hate you. Either of you. Because he wouldn't want that." Then, before either of them can respond, he put on his fakest smile. "Enjoy the ceremony, and don't smile for any cameras."

May intercepted him just before he's called to stand with Pepper. She hugged him tightly and told him he's going to be okay, and it's the first time that he feels like crying that entire day. She presses a kiss to his cheek and then she's gone to find Peter again, and Aero watches her go, wishing Peter had already been with her.

People begin moving toward the lake. Aero followed.

He nearly ran straight into a little girl running in front of him like a maniac. She looked up at him and grinned, and for a moment Aero is angry, because how could she _genuinely _smile at a time like this, before he remembers she's just a kid, probably no older than five, and—

He choked, stopping in his tracks. He looks down at her and sees it.

Her smile is a match to his own, and her dark brown hair falls a little past her shoulders, neatly brushed and sprayed down; her eyes are shining and they're the same shade of brown as his dad's, _their _dad's, and Aero had the indescribable urge to hug her, his older brother instincts kicking in. She stopped, too, staring at him, recognizing him, and Aero wondered exactly what Pepper and Tony told her and if she knew who he was after all. Her smile and shout of, "Era!" says she does. She hugged his legs and Aero puts a hand on top of her head, taking a deep breath as the realization hit that this is his _sister_.

The ceremony calls for them.

"Come on, Mommy wants us," she said, grabbing his hand and pulling him into the crowd.

Aero can't think. He can barely breath.

His mom hugged him and pressed a kiss to the top of his forehead, smiles brokenly when she sees Aero and Morgan holding hands. She shows Aero the flowerbed she's holding, and he sees the first ever ARC reactor sitting in the middle, the words _proof that Tony Stark has a heart _etched into it, and he takes a shuddering breath before nodding. Pepper faces the crowd and thanks them for coming, her voice shaky but her posture strong, and tells them about Tony, about legacy, about a hero. She doesn't tell them about a father, a husband, a man who smiled so brightly while being so broken. She doesn't tell them about the panic attacks and the late nights and the birthdays and the death scares and the _I love you_s. Because that's all for Aero and Morgan and Pepper and Happy and Rhodey; no one else can have that, and Aero understands.

Everyone knew Iron Man, but not everyone was lucky enough to know Tony Stark.

Pepper turned to the lake and takes a step forward before stopping. She closed her eyes for a moment, quiet, before she turned to Aero and held the flower bed out to him. Aero got the message, taking the flowers and the ARC reactor, and knelt next to the lake, prepared to send his dad off to wherever he would go. Aero didn't believe in God or Heaven or hell, but he believed in Tony.

Aero paused. He turned and made eye contact with Morgan, who smiled at him—just a kid who didn't understand what was happening. He offered his hand to her, and she moved over to him, taking his hand. He placed her hand on the other side of the flower bed and helped her put it into the water. "On three, we push it," he explained softly. She nodded. When Aero got to three, they both push the bed of flowers further out into the lake. Aero stood, taking Morgan's small hand in his own, staring at the water with an unreadable expression.

"Era," Morgan said quietly. He looked down at her; she raised her arms and he instinctively picked her up, bringing her up to his level. He turned and walked back toward their mom, who was clearly trying to remain strong for them. Aero stood where Morgan had, wrapping an arm around his mom's shoulders and making sure to keep Morgan up.

Then, almost like an echo, he could hear it.

_Take care of them._

Aero looked around, but no one had spoken. So he shrugged it off and trained his eyes back onto the lake.

It's almost three minutes before anyone speaks again.

It's Rhodey. He turned to the crowd and, without a hint of a smile, calls out, "To Tony Stark!"

And the crowd's answering cheer is enough to fuel Aero's energy for days.

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧ *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧ *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

His dad stood in the living room, making a speech about happiness and things working out, and Aero wants to believe it's real, but all he can see is the crappy hologram recording his dad's left behind, and he doesn't think he can ever follow his dad's advice to the full extent.

A few people are in the living room, watching his dad talk, and Aero wondered if they're trying to make themselves believe that Tony is really there and that this isn't a funeral, but a celebration, too. Aero certainly tried to, but that hope fizzled out as soon as his dad said, "So I thought I better record a little greeting, in the case of an untimely death, on my part." Because his dad _is _dead and this isn't a nightmare, it's fucking reality and Aero doesn't think he can stand to be in the room for another second—

Hologram Tony bends down to look Morgan in the eyes and says, "I love you three thousand," and Aero thinks it's over, finally, before Tony looks directly at him, standing by the sliding glass door, half-in and half-out, and says, in full honesty, "Oh, and Aero . . . I am _so _proud of you, kiddo."

Aero can't take it. He stepped back outside and sat down on the closest bench, closing his eyes and swallowing the lump in his throat as he tried his hardest not to cry. He needed to be strong for everyone. Not the world, but his mom. His _sister_. His baby sister who climbs onto the bench to sit next to him, having difficulty because she's so small, and Aero knows that he can't break down in front of her, he can't break down at all, and it's enough to push all his emotions down.

Morgan looked at him with big eyes. "Daddy told me about you," she said softly.

Aero smiled. "Yeah? What'd he say?"

She thinks for a moment. "Not much. That you're my older brother. And that your best friend is Spider-Man." Aero laughed quietly, but his eyes do a quick search for Peter for the fifteenth time. He knows Peter is there, May said so herself, but he still hasn't caught sight of Peter's brown hair or brown eyes or cute face.

He shakes his head, trying not to think about Peter again. "Did he tell you that my middle name is Morgan?" Aero asked, and Morgan perks up.

"Really?" she asked, like it's a huge secret. Aero nodded, fully turning to face her. "That's so _cool_. Before he left he told me that he'd start reading me one of your favorite book series for bedtime stories," she said, and Aero immediately knows what she's talking about. "Did you see your room yet? Mommy and Daddy spent two years making it into something you'd like!" And she goes on, changing the subject twenty different times as she tries to catch Aero up on the last five years, and Aero listens intensely, wanting Morgan to know that he's always going to be there to listen to her.

And then she said, "Mommy also said you're in love with Spider-Man. Is that true?"

Aero choked on air, his ears burning as his face flushed red. "Well, I— I, uh— _love_ is a little strong," Aero says simply.

Morgan grinned at him. "Do you feel about Spider-Man the same way Mommy and Daddy look at each other?"

Aero has to pause. He doesn't know the answer to that question. "Love is complicated, Bug," he said quietly, the name slipping out before he can think. Morgan doesn't seem to mind. She changes the subject again and gets lost in her words for another twenty minutes, and Aero wondered if she's going to graduate high school early because of fast and accurate she speaks. He's can't really say anything—Morgan is the product of two of the sharpest minds in New York, of _course _she's smart as hell. Aero only wished their dad was there confirm his suspicions that Morgan was going to graduate at sixteen, or even sooner.

Happy comes up to them hesitantly, like he doesn't want to interrupt, but Morgan's given him a lot to think about, so Aero makes the excuse of finding Peter (it's not really an excuse if Aero plans on going through with it), and Morgan waves him away, telling Aero to give Peter the straight (ha!) facts—that he, Aero Stark, is in love with him, Peter Parker (or, Spider-Man, as Morgan says, and Aero wonders if Morgan knows Peter's secret identity at all).

People have begun leaving now. Steve, Clint and Wanda, Sam and Bucky—everyone who wasn't that close to Tony at all. The four space aliens from earlier are starting to leave, but the blue robot—who's not a robot at all, Aero realizes—catches his attention. He walks over to her after a moment, figuring Peter can wait.

"I'm Aero," he introduced, holding out his hand. She eyed it, and he lowered it after a moment. "I like your style."

"Tony was a kind man," she said, and it feels forced—not like she doesn't mean the words, but like she's not used to saying them. "I wish you the best of luck in your life, Aero. He spoke of you all too often. I heard nonstop praise twenty-two days," she said honestly, and Aero can't help but grin. She goes to walk away before saying over her shoulder, "Nebula." It takes him a moment to realize that's her name, but he takes note of it so he can find a way to send her an invite for dinner, because something tells him that Nebula and Tony have a bond that can only be formed in space.

He turned around and saw Peter.

Well, he saw Peter walking toward a car, probably May's, and it takes Aero a moment too long to realize that Peter is leaving without even saying goodbye. His smile drops and his hands go into his pockets, and he can't even call out to Peter before he's in the car, and, suddenly Aero is angry. It's Tony's funeral, Aero's _dad's _funeral, and Peter can't even be bothered to offer his condolences, much less give Aero a fucking hug or even a hello. Something burns deep in his chest, threatening to over spill, and Aero needs a fucking drink. But since he isn't legally old enough for whiskey, he settles for going all the way to the end of the lake to sit and ponder and be angsty.

He doesn't expect to see a boy there.

It's a teenager, someone Aero has never met before. He has the briefest instinct to yell at the guy for crashing his dad's funeral, but the boy is wearing a suit and staring at the flowerbed that had reached the corner of the lake, and Aero realizes that the guy is _sad _and figures it would do well to find out who he was before yelling at him at a funeral.

Aero stepped beside him. The boy gave him a look out of the corner of his eye.

"Harley Keener," he said at last, turning to face Aero. "And you're Aero Stark."

It clicked. "Wait, aren't you, like, ten-years-old?" Aero asked.

Harley scoffed. When he speaks, he has a southern accent. "How long has it been since your dad was in Rose Hill, Aero? People age."

Aero took a moment to respond, suddenly realizing that Harley Keener is fucking _hot_. He has these long, dark lashes above pretty blue eyes and light, soft looking brown hair that goes well with his medium toned skin. His mouth has a slight quirk to it, like he's always amused, and Aero can see the troublemaker that his dad described in his eyes, which study Aero with an interest that Aero can't place.

Aero grinned. "Harley fucking Keener. I never thought I'd meet the kid of mystery."

Harley chuckleed. "Old Man speak highly of me?" he asked.

"Most of the time, sure, but I've also heard about you being annoying more times than I can count," Aero said back.

"You're one to say," Harley teased, and it's like they've known each other forever. "I've heard more about your ability to solve puzzles more times than I've cared to."

It's easy to slip into the banter, and there's a part of Aero that's telling him to take a chance on Harley, to forget about Peter, just for a while. But he can't. Because everytime Harley laughs, Aero's mind goes to Peter's laugh and his dimples and his messy brown hair and big brown eyes. Whenever Harley makes a joke, Peter's there in the back of his mind, his arms around Aero, telling him that it'll be okay, smiling at Aero's jokes and fanboying with Aero over Broadway musicals. It wouldn't take a rocket scientist to see that Aero is irreversibly into Peter Parker, and taking a chance on Harley Keener was never going to fix that.

But he gives Harley his number anyway, just to keep in contact.

Aero walked away and goes back to the house. He stayed in the kitchen while the others leave, one by one until it's just him and his family—Pepper and Morgan, Happy and Rhodey. Happy's brought cheeseburgers to the table and Rhodey brings out three beers before Pepper sighed and tells him to get four, warning Aero that it's a one-time thing only, at leastuntil he's twenty-one. Aero grins and agrees and drinks, and things don't seem so bad anymore.

Hours into the night, Pepper shows him his room.

It's bigger than it was at the compound, or at Stark Tower. It's grey, too, instead of purple. Things are mostly the same—it's his bed, the black and purple comforter stretched out on his black sheets. The carpet is a cream color, and his old desk is in one corner. But there's seven bookshelves lined up across the back wall, with only one book series on the middle one—Percy Jackson, because Aero talked too much about it when he was around; the empty space is for him to fill. Across from his bed is a TV mounted to the wall, and all Aero can think about is how this is his dream room, completely and without a doubt, and he hugged his mom tightly, saying a thank you that comes out as a whisper.

Things seem okay.

And then, at four in the morning, Aero is finally alone, tired and burnt out and telling everyone else that he's going to bed. Completely alone, without anyone around. Just to test the house, he asks for F.R.I.D.A.Y. to activate, and she obeys his request to soundproof his room, not questioning why.

And then he falls against the door, still in his suit, with messy hair and a red face and a confused heart and mind, and he sobs until his head hurts and his throat is raw from screaming into his pillow, and he checks his phone for any sort of message from Peter and finds nothing waiting for him but a blank screen.

And, suddenly, the phrase 'completely alone' is all he feels.


	5. CHAPTER THREE

Aero Stark nearly makes history on November 1st, 2023, when he walked into Midtown School of Science and Technology with his head held high and his earbuds in, blasting _Eddie_ _Baby_ by Felix Hagan & The Family at full volume to cover up the whispers that float his way when people realize that it's _him _who's walking down the halls, so soon after the funeral, like they never expected him to come back at all.

Tough luck. He's tired of sitting at home.

It's been nearly nine days since his last mental breakdown, and he's ready for a new start.

It's bullshit, to him, that he has to repeat his sophomore year, but at least he'll be with Ned and Michelle and, fuck, even Flash, who's Twitter account has tweeted nothing but praise of Tony and support of Aero. Aero even gave him a follow, just for being a decent person, and he hopes it's not going to fuck him over later on.

He doesn't think of Peter.

He opened his locker and didn't take out his earbuds until he became increasingly aware that someone was staring at him. Aero almost wanted to start a fight, but he pushed down the anger and turned, relief spreading through him when he realized that it was just Ned, waiting patiently for Aero to talk to him. Aero paused his song and took out his earbuds, offering an apologetic smile before going back to his locker to rearrange the books stored there, even though he doesn't need them—he never does.

"I can't believe you came back," Ned said honestly.

Aero forced a laugh, and it almost sounded real. "Come on, man, me? I love this place."

"Why?"

Aero shrugged. "Good teachers. You and Michelle. Band," he listed, pointedly leaving Peter's name out of his mouth, but clearly not out of his heart. "Plus, I need a distraction, right? And I still need to go to school, so it all works out," he added, just to make his story more believable, just so he doesn't have to think about the fact that he didn't even tell his mom he was going back to school—he just texted her when he was on campus and then didn't look at his phone when she texted him back, and he can already imagine how frustrated she is with him, but he doesn't care.

"Have you told Peter about your feelings?" Ned asked as they start walking down the hall.

Aero scoffed. "Are you seriously still thinking about that in _this _climate?" he asked, referring to the Blip and the Snap and the whole ordeal of an alien attack not even that long ago. "No, I haven't, and he's being a bitch, so I don't think I will."

Ned sighed, clearly frustrated. "You're _both_ impossible," he mutered, and Aero didn't ask for clarification, but his heart picked up the pace at the idea that Peter might possibly share the same feelings, maybe, but Aero pushed that thought away.

"Is your schedule the same as last years?" Aero asked instead, because _his _is the same and Aero is a little iffy about the idea of _everyone's_ being the same, because that means he has to see Peter for six periods every day for the next year, and Aero isn't really sure how long this stupid grudge is going to last, or if it's ever going to end.

Ned nodded. "Yeah, I think they felt bad about us having to re-do the year so they're trying to make it more familiar." Aero nodded in understanding, but that didn't stop him from being upset about it. Still, he supposed it could be worse. At least he doesn't have to deal with Martin or Bea. Unless . . . no, Aero wouldn't be that unlucky. Ned would have mentioned they were Blipped, otherwise, Aero reasoned, trusting Ned to have his back.

"Hey, why aren't you with Peter?" Aero asked, remembering that he wasn't Ned's first friend.

"Oh, he told me to check on you," Ned said casually. Aero nodded, his free hand clenching into a fist. Of course Peter was avoiding him. It's not like they said they were friends again the last time they saw each other. It's not like Aero was still waiting for Peter to talk to him and explain what happened at the funeral. It's not like Aero's every waking thought is consumed by Peter Parker, or even his dreams, too. No, he and Peter aren't _friends_, and Aero has no idea where Peter got that crazy idea.

Oh, wait. Because they _said _they were friends! The last time they saw each other!

Aero exhaled through his nose, trying not to look angry. "Cool. Tell him I said thank you." He closed his locker, hard. "You know, I think I should go to class before someone asks for my picture. I'll see you later," he said, walking away before Ned could reply. He ducked into Ms. Warren's class and sat in his old seat. He hoped that Peter had enough decency to skip class, but he also hoped that Peter cared enough about his grades to _not _skip class, and it's a confusing set of emotions, because Aero hated the very idea of Peter and yet all he wanted to do was see Peter's face again.

Unfortunately, he got his wish.

Peter sat in the same place Aero first saw him, and some part of Aero has the same butterflies he'd first had, and the other part of him gets _angry_. He glared at the back of Peter's head, but Peter doesn't turn around this time, even though Aero _knows _his Spidey-sense is probably going off like crazy. Betty Brant elbows Aero back to reality, Aero answers Ms. Warren's physics question, and things almost go back to normal.

Aero managed to get his mind off of Peter when he and Betty are paired to answer a question at the front of the room. Aero finished first—obviously, Tony taught him how light could _always _bend around corners (to some extent) when Aero was nine—and sat down before Betty has even finished reading the question to herself. He tapped his fingers against the black desk, and now _his _instincts are going off. He can feel someone staring at him, and he can tell from the general direction that it's either Peter or Flash. Normally, Aero would guess Peter, but considering the way things have been going, he isn't so sure.

Aero almost wants to make Peter jealous again, the way he did with Martin in the band room, a moment that seems so long ago. But who would that even work with, and would it even work at all? Plus, Peter told Aero himself not to do it because it makes him feel bad—and Aero had _apologized_. He _never _apologizes. Christ, Peter has him so fucked up that it's hard to think. Isn't he supposed to be _angry_?

He has the same teachers as last year. Or five years ago. Or, to Aero, the same year, because he still hadn't wrapped his head around the fact that five years had passed in the blink of an eye. He still hadn't processed his dad's death yet, either, but that was a topic for another day, maybe another five years into the future.

Ms. Warren hadn't changed in the last five years. She looked and acted the same, and it was easy to pretend that life was going to be normal again, even if Aero isn't so sure. Gym with Coach Wilson was also the same—except now when he played Captain America educational videos, the class became sullen as they remembered that their favorite superhero was old.

(Oh, right, did Aero not mention that? Steve fucking Rogers, superhero of the year, had decided to stay in the 1940s—or whenever the fuck he was originally from—in order to marry the girl of his dreams when he'd gone back in time to put back the Infinity Stones. Aero couldn't believe it—Steve Rogers was a man out of time, and he'd changed since the first time Aero had met him. The Steve that Aero knew, grudge or not, wouldn't have stayed back in time. He would have come back to the future. And maybe Aero was angry—why did _Steve _get a happy ending? Why couldn't Tony get one, too? Why did Steve leave to stay in the past when everything he never needed was in the present?)

(It was selfish.)

(Completely and utterly selfish.)

Dr. Rosewell had changed over the past five years. He was taller and his hair was grayer. He'd toned down from the overly cheery man Aero had known into a quiet, soft-spoken man who preferred reading periods than actually working. Not that Aero minded—he had a lot of books to catch up on. Mr. Harrington was the same as Aero remembered him—strange, but funny. Aero heard more about his ex-wife than he would've cared to know, but he still listened politely.

And then lunch began.

Aero doesn't even remember going to his first four classes—it's all been a blur of sympathetic stares and not-so-quiet whispers. Aero had tuned it all out—it was easy to, sort of, to put himself into a daze. His feet knew where to take him, and Aero didn't have to do much thinking. He wasn't called on in class, but he'd expected that—Ms. Warren was the only one who didn't treat him like he was made of glass, and he didn't know if he was thankful for that or . . . well, he didn't know what. Angry? No, she was the only one not treating him like a kid.

Maybe he should have stayed home.

Anyway, lunch. Aero made his way to Mr. Cobbwell's class, like he had on the fist day of school—no one to sit with, no one to talk to. Of course, he _could _sit with Ned and Michelle, but that would also mean seeing Peter. Or maybe Peter would avoid the cafeteria, too. Maybe he thought Aero would be there, so maybe Aero _should _go there. But he'd rather sit in an awkward silence with his chemistry teacher than be stared at by the entire school. There were people that he'd never seen before inside that room, people who didn't know not to approach him. And Aero would, frankly, rather die than be told, "I'm sorry" by a random freshman one more time.

Aero opened the door.

And Peter Parker was in the room.

He was sitting at the same seat he'd had five years before, at the lab station. He was talking with Mr. Cobbwell, _laughing_, his hair pushed out of his face but that one stupid curl beginning to come down. Mr. Cobbwell turns to Aero, and then Peter sees him and goes silent. Like, deafening silent. Like, Aero clearly wasn't welcome in the classroom because _Peter _was there, and Peter was going to haunt him whenever he went.

Aero ran.

He went straight into the first boy's bathroom that he saw and locked himself into a stall, trying not to breath too hard. He doesn't think anyone is inside—it's too far from the cafeteria, but he could never be too sure. So he tries to take deep breaths quietly, wanting to slow his breathing. It's hard—he just wants to throw something. He wants to punch something, too. Not a person, just_ some_thing. A wall. The bathroom door. The _stall _door. But he holds himself back because he can't really explain a broken hand to his mom without her sending him to therapy, like she's been wanting to for the past nine days.

He covered his face with his hands. There's a stinging sensation behind his eyes, but the tears don't fall. He exhausted. He shouldn't have come to school. He should have stayed home and binged watched Supernatural, or showed Morgan the Harry Potter movies. He shouldn't be here, in a stall of a boy's bathroom, breathing deeply and trying not to cry. Or trying _to _cry. Something that'll get rid of the lump in his throat.

He doesn't go to fifth period. He doesn't want to see Peter.

He _does _get the courage to go to sixth period, Ms. Cambell's band class. Peter isn't there, but he can't focus on that when Ms. Cambell is in his face, asking him to play through the notes of their newest song. Aero does so easily.

He gets lost in the music. Ms. Cambell leaves him when it's clear he knows what he's doing, but Aero doesn't stop playing. He's learned almost all the notes to Ben Platt's first album, and he plays them like it's child's play, burying himself under soft piano music. Slowly, he almost feels better, but the moment he stops playing he gets sad again, so he starts another song. No one talks to him—Peter is ditching and Martin isn't there, but Aero wouldn't talk to Martin if he was the last man on Earth, so he supposes it's alright. To be alone. He's _not _alone, because the class is around him, but, well, he's alone. And he can't really explain it.

So he starts playing the music to Older, and the ground becomes less shaky.

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧ *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧ *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

Flash stopped him outside.

It's weird to Aero how much nicer Flash has become. Is _nicer_ the right word? Aero can tell when someone is being kind to him because of his last name, or if they're just a good person. Flash _wasn't _a good person, but he was trying. Aero isn't even sure if he's still bullying Peter. He's not even sure if he should be grateful to Flash, but he _is _certain that Flash is becoming a better person. Maybe not immediately, maybe only after Aero had told him off, but _something _was happening, enough for Flash to warn Aero.

"They're in the front," Flash said, nearly out of breath from running over. "Emerson and Thomas."

Aero's blood went cold. "Is that even _legal_?" he asked, and he knows it technically is as long as they aren't parked in a news van somewhere, or actually on school grounds. Plus, this is Martin and Bea—Aero can't really expect them to follow the rules, anyway. "Never mind. Are you sure?" he added, forgetting for a moment that he and Flash _aren't _friends.

Flash nodded, taking a deep breath. "Yeah. Thomas has a camera on her, and Emerson looks ready for a fight."

Aero nodded, looking around. There's a back exit, a hole through the back fence that a lot of kids use to ditch class. Aero could use it, too. He looks back at Flash and gives him a grateful nod. "Thank you. Seriously," he said. Flash nodded, watching as Aero headed for the fence. Aero slips through the break, and then he's gone.

Aero takes the long way home. He goes behind the school and leaves through the back exit. Some part of him wants to call his mom, because she'd certainly know how to deal with Martin and Bea, but he decides against it. He doesn't need her to solve all his problems when it's just as easy to run away from them. He isn't even sure why Martin and Bea showed up—if they weren't Blipped, surely they'd matured by now, gotten over the fact that they were kicked out of Midtown?

Then again, this was Martin Emerson and Beatrice Thomas. Could Aero _really _expect them to be mature?

He gets an Uber. The driver is an old man, but he doesn't give off a bad energy. Maybe Aero should learn not to always trust his instincts, but he has a feeling this man means no harm, so he gets into the passenger's seat and buckles in. The man lets him play Ben Platt with the aux cord, and Aero sees him nod along to the songs that play.

"Haven't heart music like this for years," the man finally said. Aero checked his phone to learn the man's name—Jim.

"It's Ben Platt," Aero said casually. "He was on Broadway."

Jim looks at Aero out of the corner of his eye. "Tell me about him."

And Aero can't stop himself. "He started acting young. He was in a Broadway production of the Music Man in 2002, when he was eight or nine, then was in The Book of Mormon from 2012 to 2013—one of the best performances. I forced my dad to take me to it. Oh, and then he was in Dear Evan Hansen from 2015 to 2017, but that was just the Broadway run, he was in it for longer. He got a Tony Award for Best Actor due to Dear Evan Hansen, too. Oh, and he was in Pitch Perfect and Pitch Perfect 2, uh, and Ricki and the Flash. OH! And he's in the Netflix original, The Politician. This is his debut album, Sing to Me Instead, which came out when I was . . . gone," he ranted, trailing off at the end.

Jim nodded, not looking the least bit concerned that Aero seemed to know too much about this particular actor. "My daughter's the same way with her idols," he explained. Aero nodded. "Ah, what's the name. Mishu?" he guessed. "Mishu Collins?"

"Misha Collins?" Aero suggested, and though he wanted to go into a whole other rant about Supernatural, he restrained himself.

Jim took one hand off the wheel to snap his fingers. "That's the bitch." Aero laughed. "When she came back she was heartbroken because her favorite show had ended without her being there for it," he added. Aero nodded. He understood the feeling. "Did you ever see your actor in that Dear Evan Hansen musical?"

Aero nodded. "Yeah! My dad kept putting it off and I was just gonna go without him, but he surprised me with tickets on my birthday! We spent the whole day together and then saw the musical, and I even got to _meet _Ben Platt," he said, grinning. "Like, it's not unusual for me to meet celebrities, but it's rare that I'll meet one that I actually want to interact with, and meeting Ben was a dream come true." He smiled wistfully.

Jim eyed him. "Your dad sounds like a good man."

Aero's heart sunk, just a little. He hadn't realized how easy it was to talk about Tony until his dad was brought up specifically.

"Yeah! Yeah, he— he was. He was good."

Jim nodded. "I know that face. Trust me, kid, the more days go by, the easier it gets. The pain will dull."

"What if I don't want it to dull?"

"Because it's the only thing you feel?"

Aero decided that Jim knew too much. He turned away, fiddling with his phone. Jim sighed. "Not my place, I know. But it gets easier, I promise. Maybe not now, or later. Maybe even when you're on your deathbed. The pain doesn't go away. It never will. But you'll make room for it. You'll be able to put other things with it. Love. Happiness. And the pain gets along well with those things, even if it doesn't seem like it."

Aero looked up at him. "It's different for me," he said.

Jim smiled grimly. "It's never different for nobody. If you loved the person who died, your pain is no different from anybody else."

Jim pulls the car over when they're a mile from Aero's house. It's where Aero's destination is located. "This your place?" Jim asked skeptically,

Aero nodded. "Yeah," he agreed. "Thank you. Five stars."

Jim laughed. Aero closed the door to the car and started walking home. He could have had Jim drive him all the way, but call it a precaution, just in case. He could have driven himself to school, too, but he still would've had to leave the car in the front, so it wouldn't have mattered.

It's almost five when he sees the cabin, looming in the near-darkness. The lights are on, reflecting in the lake. Aero takes a deep breath when he opens the door, knowing that he was going to be in _so much _trouble.

He was expecting to see his mom at the table, but he was _not _expecting to see Rhodey waiting with her.

It's harder to face both of their disappointed faces.

"Hey," he greeted awkwardly, shifting his backpack. "Uh. Sorry."

Rhodey stopped Pepper from speaking. "Kid. Sit down. We need to talk."

Aero shook his head. "Um. No. We don't. I went to school and I wasn't supposed to, but I'm going to do it again. There's nothing to talk about."

"You can't just—" Pepper cut herself off, taking a deep breath. "We said we would _talk _about going to school. You should've asked."

"I _did _ask, and you said we'd talk about, and I was tired of talking," Aero snapped. "I'm not going to stop going to school. You're just going to have to deal with it." Before either of them could answer, Aero walked away quickly, going upstairs. He figured Morgan must be in her room, as _she _didn't have school, but he didn't stop by before he goes to his room. He figured he has about five minutes before Pepper came up to scold him.

He put his backpack on his bed, taking a deep breath. He could deal with this. He just needed to push his emotions down.

Aero sat there, patient, and five minutes later, Pepper entered the room.

"Aero," she said, gently, but he can hear the strain in her voice. "We need to talk about this. It isn't just about you going to school. It's about the media, and the fact that we need to talk about you seeing a therapist, and—"

"I don't need to see a _fucking _therapist," he spat.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Aero," she warned, "this isn't normal. Nothing about what you're doing is normal. We just want you to be happy."

"I _am _happy," Aero argued. "I'm going to school. I have friends. I'm not being harassed about my sexuality, and I don't have to worry about you and da— dad finding out that I'm gay! What more could I possibly want?" He gestured around the room. "I have a kickass room and a little sister and everything is _fine_. I'm _happy_," he finished, but he can tell she's unconvinced. Could be blame her for not believing him when he couldn't even believe himself?

"Aero, Tony is—" She stopped. Another breath. "Tony's death is affecting you, and I don't think you realize just how bad it's gotten."

"Oh, don't start," Aero groaned.

She held up her hand. "I just want you to _talk _to me. I'm your _mother_," she pleaded, trying to reason with him.

"I don't _want _to talk to anyone."

"You can't just _do _these things, Aero, that's not how this works!"

"Then how _does _it work?" he snapped, standing up. "You're not even my _real _mom, why do you think you can tell me what to do? I'm sick of being here! This house is a _prison_! I don't want to be here, or around you, or Morgan, or _anywhere_! Dad should have _let me stay dead_!" he yells, and the words seem to echo as both of them fall silent, only the sound of their breathing being heard.

Pepper's eyes are red, they have been since he said she wasn't his real mom (and, God, however much those words hurt Aero, they clearly hurt her more). She smoothed down her blazer and took another deep breath. "I can't deal with you right now," she said, honest, and Aero felt his chest tighten. "When you're ready to talk like an adult, you know where to find me." She closed the door behind her, hard, and Aero sat down on the floor, too tired to get up onto the bed. He hung his head and buried his face into his hands, trying to find the will to breath. It isn't easy.

There's a knock on his door. After a moment, Aero told Morgan to come in.

She poked her head inside, looking cautious. Aero mentally beats himself up for not realizing that she could probably hear the entire argument.

"What's up, Bug?" he asked, hoping she wouldn't take his words to heart.

She looked around and stepped inside. "Daddy always read me a bedtime story," she said quietly. "Can you . . . can you read one to me?" she asked, hopeful. Aero didn't hesitate to agree, pushing himself to his feet so he could go to his bookshelf. He grabbed one of the only books on there, the first Percy Jackson book, and followed Morgan back to her room. She got into bed, under the covers, and he found a chair by the bed, already set up. He sat down slowly.

"Okay, so this is the first book of many in the Percy Jackson series," he said, showing it to her. "It's the best book series ever written. One day I'll show you the musical," he addd, and he can see it now—them listening to the musical (because if was off Broadway by the time Aero returned), trying to find a bootleg of it, Morgan wearing a Daughter of Athena Camp Half-Blood shirt, Aero in his Son of Apollo one. It's a bright future.

"Chapter One. I Accidently Vaporize My Pre-Algebra Teacher." Aero took a deep breath. "_Look, I didn't want to be a half-blood. . . ._"

By the time he's done with chapter one, he expects Morgan to be asleep. But she's laying there, staring at him with wide eyes. "You have to continue!" she insisted.

"_You _need to go to bed," he argued, putting the book on her nightstand. "Don't you have stuff to do tomorrow?"

"No," she complained, "I'm here all day." She pouted. "_Please_ read the next chapter?"

He shook his head. "Bug, I want to, you know that, but we both need sleep, remember?" He considered turning off her bedside light before shaking his head and standing up. "I'll read it tomorrow night, chapters two and three," he promised. She sighed. He ruffled her hair and headed for the door.

"Wait," she whisper-yelled. Aero turned to look at her. "Can you stay here tonight? I think there's a monster under my bed."

Yeah, maybe reading about one of the Furys wasn't a good thing to do with a four-year-old.

So Aero laid down next to her and fell asleep before she did, and if he woke up late and didn't go to school just so he could spend more time with her, well, that's on a need-to-know basis. But he can damn well sure say that the cheeseburgers they left the house for the next afternoon were pretty great.


	6. CHAPTER FOUR

Morgan stared at him as she chewed her sandwich, her gaze intense for someone who wasn't even five-years-old yet. Aero took a sip of his afternoon coffee, glancing at her every so often before he finally put down his phone, sighing. "Yes, Bug?" he asked, turning to face her. She grinned.

"It's November 25th," she stated.

Aero nodded. "Yeah," he agreed. "What's so special about it?"

She frowned. "It's November _25th_," she repeated insistently.

Aero tilted his head. "Kiddo, I know. Why does it matter?"

She sighed in exasperation. "You're _sixteen_!"

Oh. It was November_ 25th_.

Aero wondered how Morgan knew when his birthday was when he couldn't even keep track of it, but he supposed she would be interested in a brother she'd never met and would do her research. Or maybe his birthday was being talked about on the news and she'd just happened to hear about it. Or maybe their mom had told her that morning, even though Pepper and Aero had both been pointedly ignoring each other for _days_ now. Either way, he felt like it was a little sad that he didn't remember when his birthday was, but she did.

"Ah," Aero said, and then he didn't know how to continue.

Morgan rolled her eyes. "We should have a party!" she exclaimed. "We could invite Uncle Happy and Uncle Rhodey! And mom! And dad!" Aero's stomach twisted. "Oh, and your boyfriend!"

Aero eyed her. "I don't have a boyfriend," he said. Who would have thought that Aero Stark's sexuality would be so accepted in the household that he and his little sister could freely talk about it?

"Yes, you do! Spider-Man!" she whisper-yelled. Aero forced a smile.

"He's not my boyfriend," Aero corrected. _I'm not even sure he's my friend_.

Morgan frowned. "Oh. Then, uh, can we invite Harley?"

Aero raised an eyebrow. "How do you know Harley?"

"Daddy talked about him a lot. And I met him at the funeral." She said the word so casually that it almost threw Aero for a loop. She obviously didn't understand what a funeral was, if she was still talking about Tony like he was alive. Or maybe she _did _understand that he was gone, but didn't want to believe it. Aero could understand that feeling.

After a moment, he sighed. "I'll ask him, Bug, but I don't think he'll show. He lives pretty far away."

"Can you invite the princess?"

Aero laughed. "She lives even further away! But I'll text her, alright? And you can meet my other friends, if they show up."

God, when did he even agree to have a birthday party? He'd never had a birthday party before, even during his first year with Tony. They'd thrown a tiny gen-together that consisted of five people, excluding Aero. Eight, if you counted Dum-E, U, and J.A.R.V.I.S., and nine total with Aero. He'd gone to a real party the next day—it was crowded, loud, and confusing. Aero had declared that he hated birthday parties the minute he and his parents had gotten into the car, and he stated that he never wanted to have a birthday party, ever. And that rule had held up since.

But he couldn't say no to Morgan. It just wasn't right.

"We have to plan the party, then!" she exclaimed. "We should have it tonight!"

"To_night_?" Aero asked incredulously. "Bug, it's too soon. We'll never be able to plan it in time!"

She scowled at him. "Watch me. Text your friends, I'll go tell mom we're having a party."

Aero watched her go, thinking to himself that she was _definitely_ going to be smarter than he was when she got older. But that thought didn't bother him—he was more focused on the fact that he would have to text people on a _Saturday _to see if they wanted to come over for a party. He doubted anyone would be available, and if they _were_, why would they want to come to his birthday party when they could be doing a million other things?

Who would he even invite? Ned, obviously. Michelle. Happy and Rhodey, duh. Betty would probably be grateful, and . . . oh, God, was Aero seriously considering inviting _Flash_? They weren't friends, not really, but Flash had really been coming through for Aero. He got Martin and Bea kicked out of school, defended Aero from Miles, hadn't been teasing Peter for a while, now . . . hell, he'd even warned Aero about Martin and Bea being on campus! And not to mention defending Aero on Twitter and offering support after Tony's death. He'd certainly been there more than Peter. . . .

Peter. Now _that _was a dilemma.

Obviously Aero was angry with him. Did that mean he wanted to exclude Peter from his birthday party? No. Because Aero still had a hopeless rush on him. He still _liked _Peter, even if he was angry and resentful toward him. He still wanted to see Peter smile, even if it wasn't at Aero. And Aero wanted Peter to show up, because if Peter showed up, then Aero wouldn't be angry. He'd forget everything if it meant being Peter's friend again.

He pulled out his phone, checking his contacts. Then he started the mission Morgan had assigned him to.

**Aero: **_this is a long shot, but any chance you'd be willing to fly in for a  
birthday party?_  
**Harley:**_ that sounds awesome, but I have school tomorrow. sorry_  
**Aero:** _it's chill. just checking. thanks!_

**Aero:** _hey, do you wanna come to a birthday party?_  
**Ned:** _absolutely. when?_  
**Aero:** _tonight. I'll text you the address._  
**Ned:** _okay! whose birthday is it?_  
**Aero:** _mine._  
**Ned:** _oh! happy birthday!_  
**Aero:** _thanks! see you tonight!_

**Aero:** _do you wanna come to a birthday party tonight?_  
**MJ:** _sure_  
**MJ:** _happy birthday btw_  
**Aero:** _thanks! I'll send you the address._

** .AeroStark:** _hey, do you wanna come to my birthday  
party tonight? only you and a few others. it won't be a  
banger._  
** .SpideyNo1Fan:** _hell yes_  
** .AeroStark:** _cool. I'll send the address._

** .AeroStark:** _weird question, but are you interested in  
coming to a birthday party tonight? mine, I mean._  
** .BettyBrantNY:** _sure, just let me know where ^^_  
** .AeroStark:** _awesome, thank you_

**Aero:** _so you just gonna bring me a birthday gift on my  
birthday to my birthday party on my birthday with a  
birthday gift?_  
**Shuri:** _happy birthday?_  
**Aero:** _love that for us. party tonight. do you feel like  
flying in?_  
**Shuri:** _yep! I'll see you tonight!_

By the time he was finished inviting everyone, Aero realized just how depressing his contacts were. There was Ned and MJ, obviously, and now Harley and Shuri. He didn't even have Betty and Flash's numbers, he had to contact them through Twitter. And there were his uncles and his mom, of course, and his dad's number, even though it was . . . useless, to put it in the most simple of terms. And Peter. . . .

Aero sighed, unlocking his phone again.

**Aero:** _birthday party. tonight. be there, please. or  
don't. your choice._

He didn't wait for a response before he put his phone down and walked away.

"Morgan!" he called. She appeared at the top of the stairs. "We should go shopping for supplies."

She brightened. "I'll call Uncle Happy!" she exclaimed. Aero nodded. Sure, he could totally drive them, but there were a lot of risks with that. Besides, he liked spending time with Happy, so it wasn't a problem for him. He sat down on the couch and waited patiently for Happy to arrive. Morgan joined him soon after, and for a moment Aero forgot about his text, or the impending response from Peter.

They met Happy outside, and Aero was immediately handed a small present. "Aw, you didn't have to get me anything," Aero said.

Happy shrugged. "Sure I did. Where are we heading first?"

"Grocery store!" Morgan piped up. "We need soda and snacks." Aero had never noticed it before, but she had a lisp. He smiled at her as she spoke, ruffling her hair before helping her buckle herself in. He did the same for himself (buckling, obviously. He didn't mess up his own hair), the opened Happy's present as the car started moving.

It was a necklace. A golden chain, with a golden T and S in the Stark Industries font—_TS_. Aero stared at it for a moment, silent, before he slipped the necklace over his head. The pendent rested in the middle of his chest, and Aero decided not to acknowledge the irony of the look.

"Thanks," he told Happy, who nodded.

It took them about an hour to get to the store, in which Aero managed to introduce Morgan to the first half of Hamilton. Except Morgan had already _seen _Hamilton just a few months ago, so that meant they could bother Happy by singing the lyrics to _My Shot _as loud as they could. It was more fun when Happy joined in, though, rapping through all of Guns and Ships with ease. Aero and Morgan had stared at him, shocked, before cheering.

The inside of the store was bright, and it was massive. Aero couldn't remember entering a grocery store after he went with Tony. Any memory that he _did _have was simply a blur. So standing in the middle of the store, pushing a shopping cart, felt like he was relieving his worst memories and also making the best ones he'd ever had. He almost froze when they passed by the cash registers, memories of Maxine yelling at poor workers flashing inside of his brain.

Then Morgan took his hand, and he relaxed.

She led him to the soda aisle. "Pick your favorite," she ordered. "But we're getting orange soda." Aero laughed and nodded, picking up a twelve-pack of orange soda. He grabbed a pack of Cheery Pepsi and a pack of Mountain Dew: Code Red. Happy grabbed a case of water, just in case, and then they were off to the snack row.

Aero grabbed two bags of potato chips from different brands as Morgan raided the candy section. Happy watched them both with muted concern, clearly wondering where these two kids got their taste buds from, or wondering if it was too late to back out of the party so he wouldn't be blamed for the sugar rush the kids were about to endure.

"Anything else?" Happy asked wearily.

Morgan and Aero shared a look. "Cake," they both said. Happy sighed.

Aero picked Morgan up so she could see all the cake options. She pointed at the large chocolate one with no sprinkles. Aero nodded in agreement, setting her back down, then went to buy the cake. At the checkout, their total measured out to just $60. They all got back into the car to drive back home. Aero checked the car's clock and saw that it was about three hours before he'd told everyone to get to the house. Meaning they had only 2 hours to set everything up. He wished he'd brought his phone so he could make a birthday playlist of songs.

Pepper didn't help them decorate, but the only reason Aero minded was because he was becoming increasingly conscious of the fact that he was an absolute moron who'd pushed her away. Normally, he would have been upset with her, but as the fight stretched on, it became clear that the only asshole was Aero.

But he didn't go upstairs to apologize. It didn't feel like the right time.

They finished setting up an hour before everyone else arrived. Around the kitchen and living room, they'd strung up some fairy lights. In the fridge were all the sodas they'd gotten. They'd moved the couches around so there was room to hang out in the middle of the living room. On the kitchen table, there were bowls of snacks, and in the middle sat the cake they'd ordered—and customized. In a vanilla frosting, in the center of the cake, were the words _Happy 16th Birthday! _Morgan had drawn a stick figure that was meant to be Aero right under the words. Aero had set up the newest Star Wars movie (well . . . new to him, anyway) for Ned's benefit (and maybe Peter's).

Everything was ready. But with an hour left, Aero was beginning to get anxious.

His first sleepover _ever _had been with Peter, and that was, in his time, only a few months ago. The only birthday parties he'd ever had had involved family, and those parties had slowly dwindled until they were nonexistent. And even so, this was _his_ first birthday_ party_. He'd been to some, sure, but he'd never thrown an actual party with _friends_.

He wasn't worried about it being lame. If he truely cared what anyone besides Peter thought about him, he wouldn't be playing a Star Wars movie, he wouldn't be inviting his family, he wouldn't have asked his mom for permission to throw the party, and he definitely wouldn't have teamed up with his little sister. It wasn't about the clout—it was about the fact that he was branching out for the first time in a _long_ time, and that was a terrifying thought.

Luckily, Morgan knew just how to help—a pizza break.

Two cheese pizzas and one pepperoni pizza went onto the table while Aero, Morgan, and Happy ate their own cheese pizza in the living room. Aero sat on the floor with Morgan while Happy sat on the armchair, occasionally having the kids pass him a slice of pizza. They'd already started watching the movie, so Aero decided he would put on the original Beetlejuice movie for the party, even though Halloween was already over. But was the privilege of seeing Winona Ryder as Lydia really supposed to be a once-a-year thing? Aero would beg to differ.

"She's pretty," Morgan commented, staring at Princess Leia.

Aero shrugged. "Yep."

She looked over at him, furrowing her brows. "I thought you liked boys?"

"I do," he confirmed. "But I can still tell when a girl is pretty, you know? I won't date any girls, but I'm not blind enough to say that no girls are beautiful. All girls are beautiful," he added. "You ever seen an ugly girl? No."

She nodded in understanding. "Girls are pretty," she agreed.

Happy looked between the two of them, lost. "You're both too smart," he decided.

Aero grinned. "Ah, come on, I'm not that good. Morgan is the smartest one in the room," he argued. Happy considered this for a moment, than made a noise of agreement and ate his pizza.

Ned took that moment to knock on the door. Aero jumped to his feet to let him inside. He watched Ned's eyes widen at the cabin space and smiled in greeting. "Hey, man, I'm glad you could make it," he said.

Ned smiled back. "Happy birthday," he said, handing Aero a present.

"Aw, what, dude, you shouldn't have," Aero said, closing the door behind him. He put the present on the counter, deciding that would act as the gift table in case anyone else brought a gift. Aero realized he should have specified _not _to bring a present, as he hated receiving gifts. But what was done was done.

Ned shrugged. "It's nothing big. It was kind of last minute," he said.

Aero smiled. "It's still a gift. Thank you," he added. "Grab some food, we're gonna start watching Beetlejuice in a few minutes. Oh, and that's my Uncle Happy," he said, pointing at Happy, "and my sister, Morgan." He pointed to Morgan, who waved excitedly. Ned waved back, then got some pizza and a drink before sitting down.

Betty arrived next, bringing a gift bag with her. Aero got up to greet her, and to get another slice of pizza. He put her gift next to Ned's as he thanked her for coming, to which she said, "I wouldn't miss this for the world." He thought that was a little dramatic, considering _Flash _had thrown better parties than whatever Aero is putting on right now, but he appreciates it nonetheless.

"We're watching Beetlejuice in the living room," he said, directing her next to Ned, who smiled at her awkwardly.

Flash showed up thirty seconds after, carrying the biggest present Aero had seen. He held himself back from grimacing, instead offering a picture-perfect smile of 'genuine' thanks. "I'm glad you could make it," he said. "We're watching Beetlejuice in the living room, and there's food and snacks. Drinks are in the fridge," he added.

Flash nodded, looking around. "Nice place," he decided.

Aero smiled. "Thanks. My dad designed it."

The sentence hung there for a moment. Then Flash nodded and went to get food.

It made Aero feel _normal_. If he had said that sentence to anyone else, he felt like they wouldn't be as cool about it. They'd offer their apologies. They'd become awkward. But Flash just continued on like it was normal. Aero liked that.

"We're just waiting for MJ, my Uncle Rhodey, and Shuri," Aero announced, sitting on the armrest of the couch. He looked at Happy and Morgan. "Oh, right. Betty, Flash, this is my Uncle Happy and my sister Morgan." Betty and Flash waved. Morgan excitedly waved back. Happy put up his hand in acknowledgment.

"Wait, like, the _princess_?" Ned asked, referring to Shuri. Aero nodded. "Dude. You know a princess."

"She knows vines," Aero commented. "Like, more than a reasonable amount."

"No amount of vines is unreasonable," Shuri announced.

"Princess!" Aero exclaimed upon seeing Shuri at the door. "I didn't think you would make it."

She held up a gift bag. "I said I would, didn't I?" she teased. She handed him the gift when he got closer. "I was starting to think you'd lost my number since I _still _haven't received your favorite vine compilation."

Aero smiled sheepishly. "Ah, right. I'll send it tonight. Promise," he said. He glanced at the present in his hands. "You didn't have to get me anything," he added, putting the gift with the rest. It occurred to him that everyone else had gone silent at her arrival, too stunned to speak. He almost wanted to cringe.

She didn't seem to mind. "Nonsense. It's your birthday." Morgan stood up and walked over to them. "Who's this little princess?" she asked.

Morgan perked up. "I'm Morgan," she introduced. Aero smiled down at her. "Are you really a princess?"

"Yep," Shuri confirmed. "Not one of the Disney ones, though."

Morgan smiled. "You're _way _prettier than the Disney ones," she decided. Shuri laughed. Aero ruffled Morgan's hair.

He introduced Shuri to everyone in time for Rhodey to walk in, thankfully without a present. Aero hugged him in greeting, told him where everything was, and then sat down again, periodically looking to the door.

MJ showed up about ten minutes after Rhodey. Aero stood up to greet her. "Sorry. Work," she said. Aero nodded.

"Don't worry about it. I'm just glad you could come," he said honestly.

"I don't have a gift."

"Even better," Aero whispered. She nodded, relaxing. "We have pizza, soda, and a lot of candy, so go wild. And we're watching Beetlejuice, but it's almost over. And then I guess I'm opening presents? And then we'll have cake," he listed. MJ nodded.

Aero finally sat down on the couch with one last piece of pizza. He looked to the door occasionally, wondering if Peter could just be fashionably late. But by the time they got to the presents, it became clear that, not only was Peter not going to text him, but he wasn't going to show up to the party, either. Some part of Aero was thankful—how much did he _really_ want to see Peter after weeks of being ignored? On the other hand, he was angry—he'd offered an olive branch, and based on his _read _text message (because, yes, Peter had read it, the phone said so), it hadn't been accepted.

Aero had received the message, loud and clear.

Rhodey brought the presents over to him, putting them on the coffee table so Aero could easily reach them. Aero thanked him as he sat down, offering a semi-forced smile to all his . . . acquaintances? Friends? Yeah, let's go with friends.

Ned had gotten him a Playbill for the Mean Girls musical. Aero had no idea where or how Ned had gotten it, but he decided he would cherish it. It would be framed with his other Playbills, since it was the one popular musical Aero hadn't seen yet. He thanked Ned profusely; Betty had gotten him a book. A Percy Jackson book, to be specific, the last in the Trials of Apollo series. He wondered how she knew he didn't have that one yet, and thanked her, excited to read the final adventure in _The Tower of Nero_; Flash had bought him a camera. Like, a genuine film camera that directors used. Aero was, admittedly, a little too excited about it, as he liked filming stuff, and the quality was going to be amazing with the new camera. Flash acted like it was nothing, but Aero could tell he felt a bit of pride at getting Aero to grin; finally, Shuri had gotten him the book _Milk & Vine_, which Aero was _super _excited to read to Morgan. He thanked her quickly, then read one of the vines to Morgan.

There was a knock on the door. Aero frowned, looking to it, but he didn't see anyone. He stood and excused himself, telling everyone to get one more drink or snack before they had cake. He went to the door, brushing off Rhodey and Happy's concerns about him getting hurt, and stepped outside.

There was a present on the front porch. It was a little box that fit into the palm of Aero's hand, tied with a neat ribbon on top. Aero looked around, but there was no one outside. Still, he had the strangest feeling he was being watched. He almost stepped back inside, then paused, deciding to open the present outside the house. On the off chance it was deadly, only he would be hurt, hopefully. But on the high chance that someone was watching to see his reaction to their present, well, Aero never wanted to disappoint. So he opened the present.

It was a guitar chip, with two golden letters engraved on one side—_A. S. _On the other was one word—_hero_. It was painted a metallic red that Aero recognized as the exact shade from his dad's suit. Aero felt his heart leap into his throat as he looked up, scanning the surrounding woods for any sign of the only person who would get Aero such a present—but he couldn't see Peter anywhere. Either it was too dark, or Peter was hiding. Or he was already gone.

". . . Thank you," Aero said, hoping Peter could hear him. _I'm still pissed off. But thank you, _he added as an afterthought as he walked back inside.

"What was it?" Rhodey asked as everyone gathered around the table for cake.

Aero held up the present. "Peter," he said. Rhodey raised his eyebrows. Aero put the guitar chip back into the box. "I guess I have to send him a thank you card."

"At least he got you something," Rhodey pointed out.

Aero shrugged. He felt conflicted between anger and saddness. "Yeah. Sure. Come on, let's get some cake before it's gone."

Betty, who overheard, turned to him. "Aren't we going to sing Happy Birthday?" she asked.

Aero cringed. "Oh, no, no, no. Nope. Not happening. I hate that song, and I hate when it's sung to me." She nodded in understanding, stepping aside so he could get a slice of pizza.

Eventually, the party winded down nearly 30 minutes later. When Aero found Morgan asleep on the couch, knocked out from her sugar rush, he decided to end the party. After making sure everyone had rides home, he walked them all outside to say goodbye.

"You could stay here for the night," Aero told Shuri. "I feel like it's unfair to have you come to America for, like, three hours and then send you away."

She shook her head. "No, no, I have a deadline." She ruffled his hair. "Besides, this was fun. Don't forget to send me that compilation!" she added as she walked over to, Aero now noticed, a ship that would take her home. He laughed quietly, waving to her. He ran a hand through his hair to fix it as he headed back inside.

"You good for tonight?" Rhodey asked as he entered the kitchen. He and Happy were almost finished cleaning, which impressed Aero and made him feel a little guilty for not helping out.

He nodded. "Yeah. I'll get Morgan to her bed and then I'm out," he confirmed, yawning to show how tired he was. He rubbed at his eyes and sighed. "Thank you for coming. You didn't have to, especially since I was such a dick."

Rhodey sighed. "Yeah, you were. But you're still family." He ruffled Aero's hair. Aero decided it wouldn't be worth fixing again. "And I'm not the one you need to apologize to."

"I know."

"She told me to tell you happy birthday. She doesn't think you want to see her."

Aero closed his eyes. "I am the biggest asshole in America, huh?"

Rhodey laughed. "No, you're just a teenager doing teenage things. The fact that you feel bad means that you're a good person. But you need to apologize."

Aero nodded, looking up the stairs. "I will. Eventually."

Happy and Rhodey bid their goodbyes. Aero made sure everything was locked up before he took Morgan upstairs, putting her to bed carefully so she wouldn't wake up. He tucked her in and sat there for a moment, tired, before getting to his feet and going to his room. He sat on his bed and turned on his phone, ready to have some alone time with just him, himself, and Twitter.

#HappyBirthdayAeroStark was trending at number 20.

#TonyStark was trending at number 21.

There was a text waiting for him.

**Harley: **_oh, and __happy birthday, Aeroplane_

Aero covered his mouth to hide his grin. Shaking his head, he sent a reply.

**Aero: **_thank you, Harley Quinn, very cool_  
**Harley: **_haha, you're SO funny. you've got the whole squad laughing_  
**Aero: **_I do my best_  
**Aero: **_but seriously, thanks_  
**Aero: **_when's your birthday?_  
**Harley: **_wouldn't you like to know, weather boy?_  
**Aero: **_i have Nothing against harley keener . but he is Annoying , god bless_  
**Harley: **_respect that you know your memes_  
**Harley: **_wait gotta go, my sister needs me, I'll text you later. ciao_

Aero raised an eyebrow. He shook his head and put his phone down, sighing.

So there was a chance he was _definitely _into Harley Keener.

Hear him out! It's not a completely romantic thing! It's more along the lines of Harley being super cute and having the same sense of humor as Aero. Honestly, Aero is 90% sure it's a platonic crush. Like, would he actually date Harley if given the chance? No. He's too hung up on Peter to even consider other options. At the same time, he feels a very strong pull toward Harley—they're jokes are the same, and Harley is nice to look at. But that doesn't mean Aero wants to date him! . . . Right?

Aero isn't even sure if Harley is gay. Or bi. Or pan. Or just likes dudes without having to put a label on it!

There were too many variables. And, again, Peter Parker exists.

Aero suddenly felt the need to get a piece of paper and have a debate with himself about the pros and cons of crushing on Harley and Peter at the same time. Pro: cute boys who he genuinely enjoyed talking to. Con: one is being a bitch, one lives too far away. Pro: more options so Aero isn't limited to pursuing one boy. Con: what if Peter and Harley don't like that Aero has his attention divided between them? Pro: Peter likes dudes. Con: Aero doesn't know if Harley is into guys.

Then there was the fact that, even if Harley likes guys, that doesn't mean he's into Aero. Aero isn't even sure if _Peter _is into him. And that leaves Aero with nothing.

Absolutely noth—

"_Impending message for Aero Stark,_" F.R.I.D.A.Y.'s voice said, startling Aero. He looked up, squinting. "_Would you like me to play the message?_"

"Uh . . . yes?" he agreed hesitantly. "Wait, no. Who's it from?"

"_Your father._"

Aero's phone slipped out of his hands as he sucked in a sharp breath. "What?"

"_Tony left a message for your sixteenth birthday in the event that he died. Would you like me to play the message?_"

". . . Yes," Aero said softly. The lights in his room dimmed. Aero closed his eyes, wanting to be completely immersed in the words. But as soon as he heard his dad's voice, Aero froze, feeling a lump form in his throat.

"_Hey, kid,_" Tony's voice greeted. "_I'm recording this in case something happens to me. I hope you'll never have to hear it, but . . . well, if you are, I'm sorry. I should've been there to celebrate your birthday. You're sixteenth now, that's a big deal! Congratulations, Aero. I'm proud of you._" There was a moment of silence. Aero could almost imagine his dad trying to figure out what to say. "_Listen. I know things aren't going to be easy. You're going to be sad. You're going to be angry. And that's okay. You'll be okay. You have Happy and Rhodey. You'll have Morgan. And you'll have your mom._"

". . . Fuck," Aero whispered.

"_This is getting sappy, huh? Doesn't matter. I love you, Aero. I probably can't say it anymore, but I love you. So much. Please take care of yourself. Don't meet me up in the clouds, yeah? I don't want to see you up here until you're way older than I am. At least wait until you've married Peter._"

Aero let out a broken laugh. "Shut up," he said, forgetting for a moment that his dad couldn't hear him.

"_I know you just laughed, kiddo. Don't be embarrassed about it, come on, we both know you like him. I really hope he's not hearing me say this, but if he is and you two still aren't together: get over yourselves, Jesus Christ._" Tony sighed. Aero covered his face with his hands, shaking with grief and laughter. "_In the event that he isn't here, well, get over yourself, kid. You're both crazy for each other! Do something about it!_" Tony exclaimed.

"_But I digress. Anyway, happy birthday, Aero. I love you. And I hope you're hearing this from me in person._"

Aero dropped his hands. The lights in his room slowly came back on. Aero stared at his discarded phone, silent and a little dazed, wondering if that had just happened.

"_Happy birthday, Aero,_" F.R.I.D.A.Y. said.

Aero smiled wobbly. "Thanks." After a moment, he sighed. "Hey, F.R.I.D.A.Y.?"

"_Yes, Aero?_"

". . . Can you play the message again?"


	7. CHAPTER FIVE

Aero went to school periodically, skipping out on most days and showing up at the most random times. It's a wonder he hasn't been expelled yet, but he's going to keep pushing his luck until he gets threatened. Like when he doesn't tell Pepper that he's going to school—he just goes, shoots her a text, and ignores his phone for the rest of the day, considering they're still in their weird fight and have been for over a month now.

No one storms the school looking for him, and his face doesn't appear on any missing posters, so Aero is pretty sure she's ignoring him, too. He's not sure how to feel about it.

Realistically, not talking to his mom through anything but texting should be the norm. She's a successful CEO and runs Stark Industries without any help. Even when he was younger, both his parents were busy. His dad was _Iron Man_, but also Tony Stark, so Aero wasn't exactly spending hours on end with him. And his mom had been Tony's assistant, and then the runner of the company, so he didn't see her much, either. It never felt weird—it was just the way life was.

But it's weird this time because of their fight.

Aero knows he has to figure out a way to apologize. It's been weeks now—all through winter break, past Christmas, etc. They were in January now. Granted, only the beginning of January, but still. Nearly two months of fighting. Aero isn't stupid—he knows that he's the asshole of this situation. He isn't going to pretend to be the hero. But he'_s _stubborn. So, there's that.

Things are unpredictable. One minute Aero's mood is sour, the next it's sweet. Sometimes he wants nothing more than to spend time with his family, the next he would do anything to get away from them—and, fuck, that means Morgan, too. As much as he hated to admit it, sometimes he even got tired of _Morgan_. He didn't even thing that was possible, but here he was, _tired_. Of everyone. Morgan, his mom, _Peter_, who, oh, he still hadn't made any progress with.

Aero wasn't the only annoyed with Peter. He could Ned was, too, but that was mainly because Ned was tired of Peter _and _Aero, not just Peter. Which, fine, completely fair. Aero was being a bit of dick, too, and was totally stubborn by not reaching out to Peter himself and figuring out what the fuck was happening. At the same time, well, neither was Peter, and Peter was the one that had started this whole thing, so Aero felt that it was only appropriate that Peter be the finish it. Ned, on the other hand, had spent an hour explaining to Aero that _he _had to be the one to finish it because Peter was going to keep dragging this on, otherwise.

Aero hated when someone was right about something that _Aero _wanted to be right about.

"I don't understand why you don't explain this to Peter," Aero said as he opened his locker.

Ned sighed. "_Because _he walks away every time I bring you up," he explained. "He doesn't like talking about you."

Aero rolled his eyes. "Oh, that's _so __great_, because I don't like talking about him, either."

"You literally spent an hour talking about his 'stupid hair' yesterday," Ned pointed out, frowning.

Aero paused. ". . . He's pretty. I can still talk about him without liking it." Ned sighed in frustration. Aero figured that his hair would be gray by the time they were out of high school due to the amount of stress he and Peter were putting on the poor guy. "Besides, that's not the point. He could just as easily fix this mess, the one he _created_, by the way. I'm perfectly fine with never talking to him again. I would rather talk about _Tootsie _than him." Aero wrinkled his nose. "Ew, never mind. Anything's better than _Tootsie._"

Ned tilted his head. "What's that?"

"A transphobic musical," Aero explained, closing his locker. "Very terrible. Anyway, like I was saying . . ." Aero trailed off, brow furrowing as his ears picked up on quiet laughter across from them. He glanced to his right and did a double take.

Miles Henway, the super senior from five years ago who, surprise, still hadn't graduated. He looked the same as the last time Aero had seen him, so he must've been Blipped. That, or he just didn't age. He was surrounded by new goons, not the ones Aero had seen last time Miles had made fun of him. Aero wondered what it was for _this _time—last time it was his sexuality. Did Miles still find that funny, or was Aero just being paranoid? He could't be—Miles was looking directly at him before whispering to his friends.

Aero scowled at him before turning back to Ned. "I'm going to prevent a murder today," he announced.

Ned frowned, glancing at Miles. "Uh, how?"

Aero grinned sourly. "Self-restraint," he said. "However, I think a little jeering is in order."

Ned shook his head. "No, no, don't do that, Aero, _Aero_—"

"I see Daddy's money got you inside again," Aero said, turning to face Miles. He leaned against his locker, holding his history textbook close to his chest. "How much was it this time? Certainly more than your . . . _friends _could afford," Aero taunted, looking the kids up and down.

Miles clenched his jaw. "This again? What, you can't think of new insults?"

"What, you can't pass a class?"

"You're a fag," Miles spat.

"Now look at who's unoriginal," Aero jeered. "Why don't you make fun of someone when your insults don't revolve around something they can't control? You know, like how I make fun of how you choose to be a dick who can't pass a simple math class." Aero turned toward Ned again, ready to make his badass exit, when Miles spoke up again, clearly not done.

"You think you're so _great_, don't you, Stark?" Miles sneered. Around them, people began quieting, realizing that there was tension in the air.

"What?" Aero asked sharply, turning to look at Miles again. "It's that obvious, is it?"

"You think that just because your dad died on a battlefield that you're hot shit, huh? That you get to just walk around like you own all of us?"

"Miles, will you shut up?" Ned defended. Miles scoffed, stepping closer to Aero, blocking the way out. Aero's blood boiled.

"No, I won't. Just because Tony Stark snapped his fingers doesn't mean he's a hero. In fact, he never was. He's done more harm than good. Your dad isn't a hero. Grow up and face the facts, freak. He decided to die rather than live to raise you. And I can't blame him. No one here likes you."

Aero felt blood rushing in his ears; he couldn't hear anything over the insistent ringing that had taken over his hearing, but even if he could hear, there would be nothing to notice. The hall had gone dead silent as students gathered around them, everyone eager for a fight. Aero took a deep breath, looking at everyone. His dad wouldn't want this. He'd want Aero to walk away. So he pushed past Miles to get out of the crowd, but Miles grabbed his arm, his grip vice-like around Aero's wrist as he yelled out a taunt that Aero couldn't hear over the sound of deafening silence.

Aero didn't think twice. He spun on his heel and ripped his arm out of Miles' grip. The book held in his right arm was suddenly held by both hands, and Aero swung. The crack of Miles' nose hitting the book echoed through the hall as Miles fell back, screaming as blood pulsed out of his nose and onto his clothes, the floor, his hands.

And Aero had _never _felt so alive.

Aero took a step toward him, raising the book. He felt someone grab him as a boy rushed over to help Miles stand. Aero struggled in the person's grip, but they were stronger, dragging Aero out of the crowd who was now rushing forward to get a look at Miles' nose. Aero could only think about how much trouble he was going to be in, because he was definitely being dragged away by a teacher and he was going to be expelled and his mom was going to be _pissed _and—

The person pushed him into the bathroom. Aero stumbled near the sink, and by the time he fixed himself, the person had already made sure every stall was empty. Aero turned around just in time to see Peter break the lock on the door, effectively locking them inside. Peter turned to face him and Aero wants nothing more than to break his stupid nose and scream, but he settles for a cutting glare that makes Peter hesitate at the door, like he was rethinking his choice to break the lock.

"Aero," Peter said, warning.

"Fuck you," Aero snapped, and it's the first time he can remember being so _angry _at Peter, the first time Aero doesn't want to see him.

"You would've killed him."

"You don't get to play the fucking _hero_," Aero told him. Peter went quiet. Aero places his book on one of the sinks, taking a deep breath. He doesn't even remember punching the wall, but suddenly his knuckles are on fire and there are speckles of blood on the white paint where his knuckles hit the wall and split open. Aero hesitated, stepping away, then went for another punch, just wanting to _feel_ something.

Peter caught his fist in his hand, forcing Aero to lower his arm. Aero glared at him, shaking, and then he broke.

It's ugly. He fell to his knees, sobbing, and Peter fell with him, wrapping his arms around Aero as Aero buried his face into Peter's chest. Peter's hand rests on the top of his head and he tells Aero to breath, but for a moment Aero can't. It feels like his chest is getting tighter and he can't remember how to use his lungs. And then he shudders and takes in a deep breath before crying again. It's pathetic—Aero Stark on the floor of a school bathroom, wrapped up in the arms of someone he's supposed to be angry with. And Aero absolutely _hates _himself for it.

This isn't how it's supposed to be.

He's Aero Stark.

He's a _Stark_.

He needs to be strong.

He _has _to be. . . .

". . . you can see, Aero, can you do that?" Peter was asking, his voice soft. Aero balled his fists into the fabric of Peter's blue sweater—it had the Midtown logo on it, rough against Aero's hands, a different texture than the dark blue fabric that stood out against Peter's pale skin. He wanted to hit something. "Aero. What can you see?"

"Shut _up_," Aero snapped, keeping his face against Peter's chest. "Shut up with your stupid panic attack thing, it only works the _first _time." Peter went quiet, and Aero didn't even feel bad enough to apologize. He didn't even _want _to want to apologize. He was perfectly fine with acting like a asshole. It was just the way he was, and no breathing exercises was going to change that part about him. Maybe it came from his dad. Maybe it came from his mom. He didn't _care_.

Aero Stark was probably the richest child on the planet, and he still couldn't afford to care.

Peter sighed. "We should— we should get up. We don't know what's on the floor."

Aero tried not to laugh. He let Peter pull him to his feet, then took a step back, rubbing his knuckles as the pain caught up with him. He couldn't look Peter in the eyes.

Silence settled on the room. Outside the door, it was quiet—not even the sound of someone walking down the hall. He wondered how long it would be until someone came looking for them, but Aero couldn't bring himself to care about the consequences. His hand still stung from punching the wall, and he was still running on adrenaline from hitting Miles with that book, his stupid history textbook that has dried blood on the back cover and edges of the old pages. He eyed the book for a moment before wrinkling his nose.

He understood why people enjoyed hitting those who deserved it, but he never understood how they could stand the sight of the dried blood.

He looked at Peter, who wouldn't meet his eyes. Before he could stop himself, he asked, "Why do you hate me?"

Peter jumped, startled. "What?" he asked, his voice going up a pitch in surprise. "Why do you . . . I don't hate you, Aero. Why do you think that?"

Aero frowned. "Maybe because you ignored me at my dad's funeral." Peter sucked in a sharp breath. "I saw you there. I saw May. She _told _me you were there. I saw you get into your car without even looking at me, Peter. Frankly, I'm a little upset you didn't even text me for my birthday, even if you _did _get me a present, but the funeral thing hurts more than a stupid party. Or even a dumb text message." His voice is steady, even as his stomach twists itself into knots, telling Aero to shut up before he threw up. He ignored it. "I think you hate me because until today you couldn't even look at me. You can barely look at me right now."

Peter took a shaky breath. He held up his arms like he wanted to take Aero's hands into his own, but he lowered them quickly, seemingly not knowing what to do with himself. "Aero . . . you're just like him."

Aero forced out a laugh. "Who, my dad? All we have in common is our eye color."

Peter shook his head. "N— no. Not in looks." He sighed. "You're . . . you're strong, Aero. And you're determined. And you're so, _so _smart. You're kind, you really are, deep down. And you just . . . you remind me of him. Hearing you speak, _looking _at you, I can't— I can't." Peter crossed his arms. "You're— I know you hate being compared to him, but every time I look at you, I see Tony. I can't— . . . I can't _not _see him."

". . . Yeah? How do you think I feel?" Aero snapped. "I'm the heir to Stark Industries and I don't even _like _science, I'm in a fight with my mom because I'm the worst kid on the planet, and I still have to deal with the fact that my dad isn't coming back to fix this mess. You think _you _can't look at me? I have to look at myself in the mirror every_day_!" His voice cracked at the end. Peter reached out to him, but Aero took a step back, shutting his eyes tightly. "Don't. Just— . . . just don't."

"Aero," Peter pleaded brokenly.

"Just let me out of here," Aero told him, looking at the door. "Fix the lock or something, I don't care. But I want to leave."

"No."

"_Excuse_ me?"

"No," Peter insisted. "We're not done. We still need to talk."

". . . I _hate_ you," Aero spat. "I fucking hate you and I never want to see you again."

"I know."

"I don't want you to talk to me anymore."

Peter ran a hand through his hair, pulling at the roots. "I know."

"Leave me _alone_."

Peter hesitantly put a hand on Aero's arm, then pulled him for a hug when he realized that Aero had no intention of walking away.

They don't move for a while. They barely move at all. They don't leave the bathroom until the end of school, when they sneak out of the door (once Peter figures out how to unlock it) and blend into the crowd. Peter holds his hand as they walk through the front, and Aero keeps close to him. He's shaking. He gripped Peter's hand too tightly. He can barely breath, especially when they get on the train. Aero sends a text to Happy telling him that he'll be at Peter's, and he trusts Happy to tell Pepper.

And then it's just them.

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧ *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧ *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

May won't be home until 7:30 p.m., Peter told him. She's working at the F.E.A.S.T. shelter, her own personal project, funded by Stark Industries. It's a homeless shelter, he explained as he led Aero to his apartment. Somewhere for the Blipped to find themselves when everything they know has changed. Peter volunteers there when he can, but he's more focused on his Spider-Man duties. The world was still chaotic, and people needed something familiar.

They both collapsed onto the couch. Aero hasn't said a word since he told Peter to leave him alone.

"Do you want something to eat?" Peter asked. "We can order pizza. Or I can make something." Aero shook his head mutely. Peter frowned. "Aero, you need to eat. You spent, like, six hours crying. At least ask me for water."

"I'm fine." He's been saying that a lot recently. He doesn't think it's true.

Peter sighed. "Yeah. Yeah, okay." Peter reached for the remote to turn on the TV. It was a re-run of a Spongebob episode. Peter put the remote down and sat back.

The fall into silence. Aero can barely breath. The last time he'd been to Peter's place, they were going to Flash's party. The last time he'd actually been inside, he'd been hiding from the press. Both times hadn't felt so tense. He'd never been so nervous around Peter before.

He hated it.

He wanted things to be normal.

_He _wanted to be normal.

"Did you, uh, did you listen to Ben Platt's newest album?" Peter asked. Aero didn't respond. After a moment, Peter snapped, "You know, this would be easier if you would talk to me."

Aero glared at him. "_Talk_ to you? Is that what you want me to do, Peter? You want me to _talk _to you?"

Peter had the decency to see the irony. "Sorry, I'm sorry. I just . . . I miss you. A lot."

"You have a funny way of showing it." Peter looked away. ". . . And I'm right here."

"Are you?" Aero blinked, taken aback. "It's okay to be angry, okay? Or sad. Just . . . be _here_. Tell me something, _any_thing. Please."

Aero ran his hands down his face, breathing in deeply. "I . . . don't want to talk about my feelings right now. That's what a therapist is for, and _no_, I'm not going to see one," he added quickly, already knowing what Peter was going to suggest. "I can work it out myself. I just want you to sit here with me. _Quiet_ly."

Peter nodded, deciding not to reply. Aero didn't even care if he was being a smartass.

Except he _does _care. Because Peter had never walked on eggshells around him. It was only recently—and, yes, Aero is counting that field trip as _recently_, even if it _was _five years ago—that Peter had gotten so careful. He was always making sure Aero was _okay_, that Aero was _fine_. And Aero _wasn't_ fine! It didn't take a genius to figure that out!

". . . You can still _talk_," Aero admitted.

Peter looked lost. "Wait, I'm confused, what do you want me to do, exactly?" he asked.

Aero rolled his eyes. "I don't know. Tell me . . . anything. Literally anything. Something good."

Peter thought for a moment. "Well, uh. I helped a kid find her mom yesterday," he said, brightening. "She was wondering around near a coffee shop and said she couldn't find her mom, but I figured the mom was in the coffee shop so I brought her inside and we found her mom together. It was really sweet."

Aero couldn't help but smile. "You're a dork," he decided. And then he leaned his head on Peter's shoulder.

The strangest thing happens—or _doesn't_ happen. Because neither of them freeze.

Aero will freeze up later, just thinking about it. But he doesn't go still when it happens. It almost feels natural, sitting with Peter, his head on Peter's shoulder, the silence growing more comfortable. Maybe that's why Aero kept coming back to Peter—he was easy to just sit with, to breath with. It doesn't matter how frustrated Aero is with him—Peter had a way of dialing Aero's anger down with just a smile, even if all Aero wanted to do was yell at him until he didn't smile anymore.

He could never stay mad at Peter for long.

Aero looked at him as they sat there. It's quiet. The TV is faint playing the intro to another Spongebob episode, and Aero wants to fall asleep. He's exhausted. Peter was right—six hours of crying could really do you in, huh? Would it be rude to fall asleep at Peter's place without asking, _on _Peter without asking? Should he text his mom and tell her where he is and that he might be spending the night at Peter's, or should he just let her trust him, putting in whatever little faith she had that he was okay?

Aero yawned. He wanted to lay down, but he didn't want to move away from Peter. An image flashed in his mind, a compromise—a risky compromise that involved _cuddling_, and Aero could barely think of the word without feeling nervous. What if Peter got weirded out? What if this feeling was just brought on because Aero was too tired to think properly? What if . . . . there were so many 'what ifs,' and Aero didn't think any of them had a clear answer.

It's a risk Aero thinks he has to take. He sat up, and the disappointed expression Peter makes is enough encouragement he needs. "Lay down," he ordered, and after giving Aero a confused expression, Peter did, putting his back against the armrest of the couch. Aero nudged Peter's legs apart, and he's entirely aware of how they're both going red at the action, but he laid down and puts his arms around Peter's waist, his head resting on Peter's stomach, and things kind of feel alright.

And then Peter puts his hand on the top of Aero's head, hesitant, and begins running his fingers through Aero's hair, and it's enough to drive Aero fucking _crazy_, but he closes his eyes and thinks that he'd rather be here for the rest of his life than anywhere else.

And it's enough.

Peter is enough.

It's enough for Aero to fall asleep.

He hasn't had a dream for nine days. He can't really explain why—he knows that everyone dreams. But Aero is good at _remembering _his dreams, and for the past nine days he hadn't been able to recall anything. It would be different it was a one-time occurrence, but this wasn't a one-time thing. It didn't bother him too much—not dreaming meant that the possibility of seeing his dad was at 0%, but it also meant that Aero was in a black space that stretched on for mils, and when he woke up he felt even more exhausted than before.

It was fine. He didn't mind it.

Aero had begun theorizing about it after the second night of no dreams—maybe it had something to do with being Blipped. He would have to find people to interview to prove his theory, but it was the only reason he could think of. Unless grief made someone unable to dream? But Aero's grieved before—maybe not for the dead, but for living people who made bad choices. Did grieving for the dead somehow made dreams disappear? Aero was too interested in the subject, and he figured he should find some way to prove one of the theories.

Oh, right, one bad thing about not dreaming—any thoughts Aero might have had during the endless blackness was lost to time when he woke up.

He was vaguely aware of where he was—Peter's apartment. Cuddling . . . Peter. The TV was still on, but the volume was lower than it was before. There was a clock next to the TV that read 7:15, which meant they had about fifteen minutes until May was home. Aero sat up, yawning and stretching, and found that he was alone of the couch. He felt a little disappointed by it, but also a little impressed—how the hell had Peter moved without disturbing Aero? And where had he gone?

The answer: to his room.

It was a nice room. A closet to the left upon entry, closed; a bed to the right, stuffed into the corner, three blankets and four pillows piled onto it; the floor was a beige carpet, and there was a desk against the wall, right next to the bed. It was a nice room, but it was small and cramped—and maybe it made Aero sound entitled to say it, but he had no idea how Peter hadn't gone crazy with so little space. Then he felt bad for thinking that, because obviously him and Peter lived different lives.

Peter was sitting on his bed, scrolling through his phone. His hair was messy, sticking up in some places; he looked focused, pursing his lips as he read whatever was on his phone screen, his eyes narrowed in concentration. He'd changed out of his Midtown sweater—now he was wearing a plain gray shirt with long-sleeves. Aero stood there for a moment, dazed and a little tired, before he shook his head. Clearly Peter's Spider-sense was useless, because Peter didn't notice that Aero was in his room until Aero cleared his throat.

Peter looked up from his phone. He smiled sheepishly. "Hey. Sorry. Waiting for a text from Ned."

Aero nodded. "Yeah, it's cool," he said, awkwardly scratching the back of his neck. "Um. I should probably leave. My mom might be worrying now."

Peter frowned. "I mean . . . you can stay over, if you want."

Aero raised an eyebrow. A twinge of anger started rising in his chest, but he pushed it down. "Sure, maybe, if I wasn't currently in a fight with my mom. She wouldn't want me to have a sleepover, anyway."

Peter tilted his head. "We've had a sleepover before," he pointed out.

Aero bit the inside of his cheek, shaking his head. "It's different. Mom's fine when people come over— or, uh, _came_ over, anyway. She didn't care because she knew I was safe. But in my timeline . . . even if it was five years ago for her, I lied about hanging out with you to hang out with Martin, and now I'm going to school without her permission. Plus we're, you know, fighting," he repeated. Peter nodded, though he looked a little suspicious.

That anger was rising again. Peter didn't have a right to be suspicious of Aero's intentions—if Aero wanted to have a sleepover, he'd have a damn sleepover, whether it was at his house or Peter's. And, sure, maybe he didn't want to have one—maybe he wanted to go home. But at least he was being nice about it, and at least what he was saying was true. It was completely different, completely _unfair_, for Peter to question if Aero was telling the truth.

He pushed the anger down again, taking a deep breath.

"I'm going to call Happy and then I'll . . . go."

Peter nodded, looking down. "Yeah, okay. Uh, we can hang out later, though, right?"

Aero couldn't help but say, "That depends. Are you going to keep ignoring me at school?"

The words sound harsh, even to him. Peter's expression fell, but Aero doesn't care. He's telling the truth, for once in his goddamn life. And he still has a right to be angry, so he lets the anger fester and infect him.

"I thought we talked about that," Peter said slowly, getting to his feet. He took a step toward Aero, who took a step back.

"We didn't _talk_ about anything," Aero spat, turning around to leave.

"I thought things were going back to normal!"

Aero tensed, clenching his jaw. "Normal? Things don't get to _be _normal! You're a fucking _superhero_, my dad is _dead_, I have a _sister_, I— we can't _be _normal, Peter! And even if we could go back to being just us, I just get so— so _angry._" He whirled around. "You _ignored _me for _weeks _while I _suffered_! You cut class and didn't even have the fucking decency to say sorry at the funeral! You don't get to _want _normal!"

Peter was quiet, his hands curled into fists at his side. Aero considered backing off, but this was _Peter_. He trusted Peter, even in their angered states, not to take things too far. "I apologized for that, Aero, you heard it yourself! And you know how hard it was for me to ignore you."

"Oh, grow up! You're such a fucking challenge, Peter," Aero snapped.

"And don't care about anything!" Peter shouted.

"You care too much!"

"You enjoy _hurting_ people!"

"Fuck you!" Aero yelled at him, and then he grabbed Peter by the shirt and pulled him forward.

And they're kissing.

It's messy and unbelievable and fueled by anger and resentment and stupid feelings that won't go away, but it's _theirs_. Peter puts his hands through Aero's hair and Aero keeps his fists clenched around Peter's sweatshirt, and it's all of them, no one else. They pull away, once, both of them catching their breath from being too scared to breath, and then Peter pushes him against the wall beside the bed and kisses him until Aero feels like his lips are going to bruise.

And it's _them_. It's all them.

And then it isn't, because May comes in to make sure they haven't killed each other during their fight, and she gasps in surprise. Peter moves away, looking embarrassed; Aero can feel his heart in his throat, and it occurs to him that Peter had never come out to May, probably, and this wasn't exactly the ideal way to come out, being caught kissing your best friend, but it's happened.

And, God, is it wrong for Aero to want to do it again?

"Well, um," she stammered, but she didn't look angry, "do you boys want dinner?"

Peter sighed, covering his face as soon as she'd left the room. "I'm sorry," Aero said, quiet, not able to look at Peter. "I don't know what happened."

Peter doesn't respond, sitting down on the bed. After a moment, Aero leaves, realizing that now isn't the time to talk. May tries to stop him on the way out, but Aero calls out a goodbye and he calls Happy on the way down, just wanting to go home.

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧ *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧ *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

_One of the Drunks _by Panic! at the Disco blared from the stereo as Happy drove up the cabin. Besides the music, the car was silent—Aero hadn't said a word since he'd gotten in the car. Happy clearly had questions, since Aero had been practically hyperventilating when he'd called his godfather, but Aero didn't know how to form a proper sentence given the way his brain was still fuzzy from the kiss.

_Oh_, the kiss!

Aero reached over and turned the music down as he turned toward Happy. "I kissed Peter."

Happy nearly hit the gas. Luckily, he hit the breaks instead. "_What_?" he choked out.

Aero grinned. "I. Kissed. Peter." He lowered his voice. "And he . . . he kissed me back."

Happy smiled nefariously. "Congratulations? I thought you and him were fighting."

"Oh, we are. I think he hates me now. But we still kissed," Aero whispered.

Happy frowned at him. "Are you . . . drunk?" he asked hesitantly.

"Only on adrenaline," Aero stated proudly. He opened the car door. "Well, goodbye. Thank you for picking me up!"

Happy gave him a weird look. Aero didn't hear his sigh of confusion after he'd closed the car door. He waved to Happy from the front door before stepping inside, inhaling deeply as the events of the day caught up with him. His hand still hurt. He was pretty sure his face was still red from the kiss. He was still drowsy from his nap but so _alive _from the fact that he _kissed Peter Parker. _How long had Aero been dreaming of this moment?

He didn't have time to reflect. His mom was in the kitchen, pouring milk into a mug. She had a packet of hot chocolate mix beside the cup. She looked up when he entered the house, then quickly looked back down.

Aero frowned. "Uh . . . hey," he said, dropping his backpack next to the door. "Sorry, I know it's late."

She didn't look at him. "It's fine."

Aero pursed his lips. "Right, yeah. Uh . . . can we . . . talk?"

She forced a laugh. "Now you want to talk?"

Aero winced. Yeah, okay, he deserved that. And now he was totally realizing what Peter felt like whenever Aero aimed that particular jab at him. Jeez, Aero didn't know it would feel this bad. "What else can I say?" Aero asked, desperate to fix their relationship. It seemed it was a day for make ups.

Pepper finally met his gaze. "For one, you can start going to a therapist."

Aero clenched his jaw. "I don't . . . I don't need to see a therapist."

"Aero!" Aero jumped back slightly when she raised her voice. "You're lashing out at people that you care about. You're being rebellious. You're—"

"Maybe I'm being rebellious because I never got the chance to be a normal teenager!" Aero snapped. "I'm the son of a _superhero_— _two _superheroes! I've been in the eye of media since I was seven, and now I'm being referred to as the Heir of Stark Industries when I don't even have an interest in science!"

"No one is expecting you take over the company, Aero!" she told him firmly. "You're allowed to do whatever you want! Music, science, filming, whatever! We don't care what you do as long as it makes you happy, and damn whatever the media says! Since when did you start listening to them?" Aero fell silent, realizing she was right. She sighed, composing herself. "Aero. You're my son. I just want you to be happy. And whatever's going on, you— you're _scaring_ me," she admitted. "I don't want you to disappear."

"I'm right here," he said softly.

"Are you?" she asked.

Aero felt like he was thrown back in time. Peter had said those same words to him only a few hours ago. Had he really been there with Peter, or off in his own world? Was he here, now, with Pepper, or was he still distant, still spacey? He didn't know. He hadn't felt grounded to the earth in so long, it was hard to tell if he was fully in the moment of half-way in, half-way out.

He didn't want to be half-way.

"One meeting. That's all I ask. I won't know anything you tell her, but just go to _one _meeting and see how it goes. Please," she begged, her voice cracking. It's enough to almost send Aero over the edge.

". . . Okay," he finally relented. "I'll go to therapy." He frowned. "Wait, you said 'her.' You already found someone?"

Pepper nodded. "Rhodey referred me to her. Her name's Dr. Kane, she helps with PTSD and teen therapy," she explained. Aero nodded. ". . . Do you want some hot chocolate?"

And just like that, things were back to normal.

"Where's Morgan?" Aero asked as he sat down on the sofa, coco in hand.

Pepper waved her hand. "Asleep. She made me read the book that you've been reading to her, uh, _The Titan's Curse?_" she guessed. Aero laughed, nodding. "Good book. We're at the past where Percy is captured by Dionysus," she added. Aero took a sip of his coco.

"It's not my favorite, but nothing can really beat out the first book. Or Magnus Chase," he decided.

"I have no idea what those words mean," she teased. They lapsed into silence, each drinking from their respective cups.

". . . I think I love him," Aero said casually, before taking a long sip of his coco. Pepper nearly dropped her mug on the floor. She stared at him, waiting for Aero to continue. Aero lowered his cup and took a deep breath as he got to his feet. "Well. Goodnight."

"Aero," she warned. He sighed, sitting back down. "You think you're in love with Peter," she said, like it's a statement more than a question. He nodded. "Well, congratulations. You're officially the last person to find out." Aero snorted, nearly choking on his hot coco. "What brought this realization on?"

Aero hesitated, wondering how much he could give away. But he had a feeling she knew the answer anyway—he didn't trust May not to call Pepper to tell her what happened. Not because May was untrustworthy in nature, but because she'd literally caught Aero and Peter in a heated make-out session and was probably wondering if they were dating and now telling her. "We, uh . . . we had a fight. And I kissed him." He swallowed thickly. "And he kissed me back."

She nodded. "Well . . . Peter is a great kid. I'm glad you love him. Just be careful," she told him sincerely.

Aero shrugged. "Right. Because I don't want to get my heart broken." _Too late_, Aero thought, remembering the expression on Peter's face when they'd been caught. Regret—instant regret that Aero didn't feel, because he was _never _going to regret kissing Peter, even if it ruined the best thing he'd ever had.

She rolled her eyes. "No, because the chance of either of you getting pregnant is at zero, but—"

"Oh— _Mom_," he complained, his ears going bright red. She laughed, drinking the rest of her coco. "No, we're not— no!" he exclaimed, not even wanting to think about it, and especially not wanting to think about it near his _mother_. "No," he insisted, curling up on the couch as he sipped his coco. He guessed that the redness of his face was not from the warmth, but from the complete and utter embarrassment of his mother suggesting that him and Peter would have sex at this current point in time.

_Well, _his brain told him, _logically you and Peter _could, _the future,_ _be having se—_

_ Shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up, _Aero thought quickly, trying to erase those thoughts. "I'm going to bed," he announced, getting up to put his cup in the sink. Pepper laughed. Aero washed out the cup and then put it down in the sink to finish washing for the morning. He headed up the stairs, then paused, looking down at Pepper for a moment.

"Hey, Mom, you know I love you, right?"

She turned her head to smile at him. "I know, Aero. I love you, too."

Aero smiled. Sometimes it was just nice to hear it again.


End file.
